IRISH fighter Conor McGregor floored the mascot for basketball team Miami Heat during Game Four of the NBA Finals on Friday.
The clash between the 34-year-old Dubliner and Burnie was a promotional stunt for McGregor's TIDL sports recovery spray.
However, reports suggested the man inside the Burnie suit later required hospital treatment.
Burnie, the Miami Heat mascot, pictured in April (Image: Bryan Cereijo/Getty Images)McGregor was courtside for Friday night's game between Miami and the Denver Nuggets.
During a break in play in the third quarter, the Heat revealed they were partnering with TIDL, with McGregor facing off against Burnie as part of the promotional announcement.
The huge flame mascot, dressed in robe and boxing gloves, danced around McGregor before a left hook from the Irishman floored Burnie, knocking his head piece off in the process.
Conor McGregor KO'd the Heat mascot 😅 #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/IRAKzuMKp2
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 10, 2023
With Burnie lying in the centre of the court, McGregor delivered another punch to the mascot before he was fanned and dragged away by the Heat's entertainment crew.
McGregor then sprayed the mascot with TIDL as he was dragged away, with the announcer adding: "Oh mercy! Burnie, you're going to need some TIDL yourself, baby!"
Fans at Miami's Kaseya Center booed McGregor as the pantomime played out, although it later turned out that the person in the Burnie suit was genuinely hurt during the skit.
McGregor was promoting his TIDL sports recovery spray (Image: Megan Briggs/Getty Images)According to The Athletic, the man was taken to the emergency room of a nearby hospital where he was given some pain medication before being sent home.
Perhaps that dose of McGregor's TIDL spray aided Burnie's speedy recovery.
It was a painful night overall for the Heat though, as they lost 108-95 to trail the Nuggets 3-1 in the Finals.
A win for the Nuggets at the Ball Arena in Denver on Monday night would seal the title in what is the franchise's first appearance in the Finals.
McGregor, whose last fight was a July 2021 defeat to Dustin Poirier, is being tipped to make a comeback later this year against American fighter Michael Chandler.
