MIAMI – As if losing Game 4 of the NBA Finals to the Denver Nuggets wasn’t enough for the Miami Heat, their beloved mascot, Burnie, was taken to the emergency room of a nearby hospital for treatment. After being leveled by former UFC champion Conor McGregor on Friday night. According to a league source, the man was given painkillers by a doctor and was later sent home and is doing well.
During a mid-match bit where McGregor promoted his pain relief spray, he chilled Burnie with a hard left hook that sent him sprawling on the floor before landing another punch on the floor.
The skit was clearly by design as Burnie faced McGregor while wearing gold boxing gloves, but the excessive force behind the MMA fighter’s punch caused enough damage that medical treatment was deemed necessary.
McGregor was present throughout the Nuggets’ 108-95 win as Kazeya left the center with his entourage shortly after Denver took a 3-1 series lead. The 34-year-old Irishman has not fought since a July 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier in which he suffered a broken leg, but he is reportedly scheduled to face Michael Sandler in late 2023.
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(Photo: Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
