Conor McGregor scored his first knockout since 2020, but it happened in the last place fans expected it to.
The Irishman was in Miami to take in Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets. During half-time, McGregor took center-court for a scripted segment to promote his new pain relief spray. McGregor was joined by Miami Heat mascot Burnie who was sporting a pair of oversized boxing gloves, seemingly challenging the former two-division world champion to a scrap.
It was then that McGregor uncorked a solid-looking left hook that sent Burnie crashing to the hardwood. McGregor followed it up with another left while Burnie was on the ground. It appeared to be all in good fun but as it turns out, Burnie got a little more than he expected from the combat sports superstar.
Per a report from The Athletic, the man behind the Burnie get-up was taken to a local hospital shortly after the incident. He was given pain medication and released per the report, but no other updates have been provided on his condition.
Conor McGregor KO’d the Heat mascot 😅 #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/IRAKzuMKp2
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 10, 2023
Technically, Conor McGregor’s clean left hook against Burnie was his first recorded knockout since a first-round finish of UFC Hall of Fame inductee Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone in 2020. Since then, McGregor has lost back-to-back bouts to lightweight rival Dustin Poirier, the last coming in July 2021 when the Irishman suffered a nasty leg break in the opening round of their trilogy bout.
McGregor has since returned, taking to the airwaves as part of the 31st season of The Ultimate Fighter, currently airing on ESPN. ‘The Notorious’ is coaching against former Bellator champion Michael Chandler, the man he is expected to square off with in his highly anticipated return to the Octagon. When and where that takes place is yet to be determined, but all parties involved have insisted that December is the likeliest scenario.
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