Jump to
UFC president Dana White did not seem very surprised about the recent incident involving former UFC double-champion Conor McGregor at an NBA game last week. In fact, White seemed downright dismissive of his fighter’s behavior, putting the blame on the NBA and the Miami Heat’s mascot (the person who was struck).
Conor McGregor sent the mascot to the ER
For those unaware, Conor McGregor was invited to do a halftime stunt at the Miami Heat vs. Denver Nuggets game last Friday (June 16), but things went sideways fast. The deal was for the ‘Notorious’ and the Heat mascot, Burnie, to have a little pretend fight, but the former UFC champ promptly knocked the entertainer down with a left hook and then followed it up with another blow to the downed man’s head.
After getting knocked down and punched again, the mascot had to be dragged away by other members of the staff. Later on it was reported that the man had to be sent to the emergency room for pain medicine, but was then released as no major damage was apparently done.
Boxing star Deontay Wilder did the same thing in 2018
Similar to McGregor’s incident is that of former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, who was involved in such a story when he punched a ESPN Nacion mascot on television in 2018. Though at first it was reported that the strike had broken the man’s jaw, further reports revealed that no major damage had been done. Since then, ‘Bronze Bomber’ has publicly apologized for the incident.
Dana White blames the mascots
In an interview with Yahoo Sports, UFC president Dana White addressed Conor McGregor’s latest controversy and compared it to Deontay Wilder’s. Though White did not defend his athlete’s actions, he also shifted most of the blame to the organizations who keep on having pretend fights between mascots and professional fighters.
“I saw the Deontay Wilder one, too,” said White. “What’s up with mascots wanting to get punched in the face by professional fighters?
“What do you expect? I mean, what are those mascot things made out of? Unless you’re like, the Golden Knights mascot – I don’t even know what he wears, but I’m assuming it’s a metal helmet – I wouldn’t have professional fighters punching me in the face if I was a mascot. Doesn’t seem like the brightest thing in the world.”
Conor McGregor is a coach on TUF 31
For now, Conor McGregor is a captain on the ongoing The Ultimate Fighter 31 TV show, where his team is competing against former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler’s team. However, the Irishman has yet to score a win on the show, having lost both of the outings that have aired so far.
Conor McGregor is expected to take on Michael Chandler at a date and place yet to be announced by the UFC. The 34-year-old is currently on a two-fight losing skid, with a couple of TKO losses to former interim champion Dustin Poirier. The Notorious has not scored a win since a TKO victory over now retired veteran Donald Cerrone, in January 2020.
You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality UFC coverage. Bloody Elbow is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site.
Join the new Bloody Elbow
Our Substack is where we feature the work of writers like Zach Arnold, John Nash and Karim Zidan. We’re fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. Please help us by subscribing today.
About the author
