NBA
UFC star Conor McGregor finally breaks his silence after he knocked out Miami’s mascot in Game 4 of the NBA Finals
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All posts by Antonio KozlowUpdated15 Jun 2023
Back in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, fighter Conor McGregor was invited to court for a half-time show segment in which he had to produce a skit with Burnie, the Heat‘s mascot. However, the act turned sour when the UFC superstar sent him to the emergency room after punching him too hard.
The news made headlines especially after fans felt McGregor went the extra mile and delivered him an unneccesary second punch once the mascot was already laying down surrendered in the floor.
As Burnie was sent to the hospital after the scripted punch went wrong, the fighter insists that there are no hard feelings after the incident.
“It was a skit and all is well,” McGregor said Tuesday, as reported by TMZ. “I spent a lot of time with him afterward, we talked it out, everything is great. It was all part of the show.”
Take a look at the actions from last week’s Game 4 at the Kaseya Center in Florida:
McGregor was promoting his new brand TIDL during the skit, a spray that supposedly relieves pain. As seen in the video, the idea was to advertise the product while hurting Burnie in a joking manner, as the former two-time division UFC champion would later heal him with his spray.
The video shows the fighter getting a bit too carried away during the show, as many believe that the first punch was more than enough. It seems the spray didn’t do much from keeping the man who played the mascot out of the hospital, as he had to recieve actual pain medication.
After the incident, the Kaseya Center booed McCregor during most of the contest which saw Miami conquer their only victory of this past championship series against the Denver Nuggets.
Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra dissed the situation by saying that this goes to show the tough identity around Miami
Even though the crowd made it very clear they weren’t impressed by the former UFC champion, Miami trainer Erik Spoelstra didn’t seem too upset after the midgame incident.
“That’s the Miami Heat toughness that we’re talking about,” Spoelstra said before Game 5 with a smile on his face. “[Burnie] should have been allowed to take the first swing.”
As the mascot was confirmed to be able to return to the Kaseya Center if Miami would eventually force a Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Spoelstra said Burnie is strong. “He can take a punch and get back up,” the coach added. “He’s not going to miss any time.”
McGregor, on the other hand, is slated to confront Michael Chandler during this next Fall, after the two are done coaching in this season of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
