Conor McGregor KO'd Miami Heat Mascot Burnie!
By Melanie VanDerveer on June 11, 2023 at 2:15 AM EDT
Poor Burnie probably didn't see it coming. And by it, we mean Conor McGregor's fists of fury.
The Miami Heat mascot was supposed tobe playfully roughed up by the UFC champion, but it seemed McGregor was in it to win it during Game 4 of the 2023 NBA Finals between the Heat and Denver Nuggets. (Or maybe he's secretly just a Nugget fan!)
Conor McGregor Let Burnie Have It!
McGregor was at Game 4 at the Kaseya Center in Miami on Friday night to announce that his TIDL Sport cooling pain relief spray is now an official sponsor of the Miami franchise during an on-court interview. Once on the mic, he was booed off the court by Heat fans but then was approached by the Heat's beloved mascot, Burnie, who was ready to fight.
Burnie was ready to don some oversized boxing gloves and looking to fight. The two sized each other up just before McGregor delivered a left hook to Burnie's head, knocking his hat off and sending him to the ground.
The crowd didn't seem pleased with how forceful McGregor was towards Burnie, and more boos filled the arena. As the mascot was being dragged off the court, McGregor decided one more hit was in order before spraying him with his pain relief spray.
The punches didn't just knock the mascot to the ground but landed the person in the suit in the hospital. According to The Athletic, the man in the case was taken to a nearby emergency room, given pain medicine, and sent home. He's reportedly doing well.
Conor McGregor KO'd the Heat mascot 😅 #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/IRAKzuMKp2
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 10, 2023
While the act was planned and scripted, McGregor may have taken it too far with the power behind his punches. Considering the UFC champ hasn't fought in about two years, maybe he just got caught up in the moment, unbeknownst to poor Burdie.
To add insult to injury, the Heat lost to the Nuggets 108-95, giving the Nuggets a 3-1 lead in the series. If the Nuggets win Game 5 on Monday night, they'll make franchise history by winning their first championship.
Fans On Social Media Had Jokes About Poor Burdie's Feathers Getting Rudely Ruffled
NBA fans took to social media to leave their thoughts and share their jokes on Burdie's unfortunate turn of events.
"Imagine being in the suit thinking 'that went well' and see him approach for another punch 😭," one person wrote on Official NBA Buzz's Instagram post. Another added, "😂😂😂 in the video, the second punch looked like it hurt."
Many people brought up that second punch, which maybe Burdie wasn't expecting and was likely the hit that sent him to the E.R.
"It was the second punch," one person said. "It's the 2nd punch that connected, lol," said another.
One fan thinks maybe McGregor saw his last time in the arena. "They probably gonna hit Connor with a ban from their arena soon 🤣🤷🏾♂️."