The Miami Heat mascot needed medical care after getting hit by two blows from former UFC champion Conor McGregor in a midgame stunt that backfired.
The Heat said on Saturday that the staff member who was inside Burnie’s costume was given painkillers and was recovering at home. The person’s name was not disclosed.
McGregor was part of a promotional stunt for a pain-relief spray during a break in the third quarter of Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Heat and the Denver Nuggets on Friday night.
Many fans in Miami jeered McGregor even before the stunt began. The flame mascot was dressed in huge boxing gloves and a robe similar to what a boxer would wear before a fight. McGregor landed a left hook on Burnie, making him fall, then hit him again while he was on the ground.
McGregor then tried to “spray” Burnie with the pain-relief product, while some members of the Heat’s entertainment team pulled Burnie off the court.
McGregor has not fought since breaking his left leg in a defeat to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. His last victory was in January 2020.
