Friday was not a good night to be affiliated with the Miami Heat.
The team was beaten easily for the second straight game at home by the Nuggets to fall behind 3-1 in the NBA Finals as the series returns to Denver for Game 5. In that loss, the Team mascot, Burnie, decided it would be fun. do some midcourt with Conor McGregor, who sat courtside for the game.
Burnie came out in big boxing gloves to “fight” McGregor, with the former UFC champion scoring a one-punch knockout (and then one more on the ground for good measure).
That punch was apparently a bit more than Burnie bargained for, as The Athletic reported on Saturday that the man in the suit had to go to the hospital to get checked out and get painkillers before being released – with Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald confirming.
Can confirm, like @sam_amick reported that the Heat’s mascot man Burnie had to go to the emergency room after being injured by former UFC champion Conor McGregor during a match on the court. He saw a doctor and is now at home. Splendid.
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) June 10, 2023
The story notes that he’s fine now, which is fine, and I feel like the lesson here is never ask a pro fighter to punch you a little, even if you’re wearing a big padded outfit . Fighters tend not to be the best at throwing punches, and the result can be injury added to insult.