Conor McGregor offers update on Miami Heat mascot after punching incident

The NBA team’s mascot was reportedly hospitalised last week after being struck twice by McGregor at a game

Conor McGregor has insisted that his incident with the Miami Heat mascot last week was ‘all a skit’, after ‘Burnie’ was reportedly hospitalised by the UFC star’s punches.

During Game 4 of the NBA finals between the Heat and the Denver Nuggets, McGregor took to the court and punched the home team’s mascot, before striking him again when he was prone on the court. The incident was seemingly a skit, though many observers believed it had gone beyond that when the mascot was reportedly taken to hospital.

McGregor, however, said on Live with Kelly and Mark on Wednesday (14 June): “That was part of the skit, it was all a skit. We were backstage, all was well, it was just part of the show.

“The mascot’s good [...] It was a skit, and it went the way it went, and all is well. I spent a lot of time with him afterwards, we hugged it out, and everything was great.

“It blew up. I recently made my acting debut, you know? I’m not a bad actor.”

The Irishman, 34, is due to feature in a remake of the 1980s action film Road House this year.

McGregor also recently finished filming the new season of The Ultimate Fighter, which is airing until August. On the UFC television show, the former champion is coaching a team of mixed martial artists against a team led by Michael Chandler, whom McGregor is due to fight in the Octagon later this year.

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