Dana White brands Miami Heat mascot dumb for goading McGregor
In a bizarre publicity stunt that went badly wrong, the Miami Heat’s mascot was rushed to A&E after being punched to the floor by the UFC champion.
As the saying goes, not all ideas are good ideas. For instance, whoever had the brainwave for Conor McGregor to stage a fight with an NBA mascot during the interval of Game 4 of the NBA finals - the most bizarre idea of ‘halftime entertainment’ seen in the best basketball league in the world. The UFC champion laid out the Miami Heat’s mascot Burnie in a publicity stunt that went wrong and left the victim inside the costume requiring treatment at a local hospital.
McGregor was jeered by fans as he stepped out on court at the FTX Arena to promote his cryotherapy pain relief spray. He was approached by Burnie, limbering up with oversized boxing gloves. The mascot was laid out cold with one brutal left hook from McGregor, who then punched him again while he was down. McGregor then tried to “resuscitate” the mascot with his pain-relief spray, before members of the Heat’s in-game promotional team dragged Burnie off court.
According to The Athletic, McGregor struck Burnie with such venom, that the mascot, or at least the guy inside the costume, had to be taken to a nearby hospital, where he received received pain medication before being taken home to rest.
Equally as bizarre was the response from UFC president Dana White who blamed the Heat’s mascot for “I saw the Deontay Wilder one too. What’s up with mascots wanting to get punched in the face by professional fighters? What do you expect? I mean, what are those mascot outfits made out of, y’know... Unless you’re the Golden Knights’ mascot - I don’t even know what the hell it was but I’m assuming it was a metal helme. I wouldn’t have professional fighters punching me in the face if I was a mascot. It doesn’t seem like the brightest thing in the world”.