A basketball mascot who was hospitalised after being punched to the ground by Conor McGregor has been hailed as a "tough" guy by his team's coach.
UFC star McGregor (34) was in America for the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals of Miami Heat against the Denver Nuggets last weekend.
Conor was on the court when the Heat’s mascot - called Burnie - approached him in a pair of boxing gloves and that’s when he was knocked to the floor by a powerful left hook.
READ MORE: Conor McGregor hospitalised Miami Heat mascot with punches
McGregor then hit the mascot again when he was down, a common attack in mixed martial arts.
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has now praised the mascot for being "tough" enough to take a punch from professional cage fighter McGregor.
He said: "That's the Miami Heat toughness that we're talking about. He's not going to miss any time."
Despite the blows, the mascot was reported to be "doing well".
Spoelstra said after an interview this week: "Burnie should’ve been allowed to take the first swing.
"We won’t reveal who [Burnie] is, but he’s tough to take that punch and get back up."
Some fans booed McGregor, who is taking time off while undergoing rehab for a 2021 leg injury.
But UFC president Dana White has criticised the man in the mascot suit.
He said that he wouldn’t let McGregor punch him in a mascot suit, addressing a previous incident when heavyweight boxer Deontay Wilder also injured a mascot with a punch.
White asked: "What’s up with mascots wanting to get punched in the face by professional fighters? What do you expect?"
He added: "What are those mascot suits made out of?
"I wouldn’t have professional fighters punch me in the face if I was a mascot. It doesn’t seem like the brightest thing in the world."
McGregor was promoting a new pain relief spray product when he was joined on the court by the mascot, who wore oversized boxing gloves.
After punching him to the ground, McGregor then tried to joke spray the mascot with the pain-relief product.
But the Heat’s promotional team dragged the mascot off the court before he was taken to a hospital emergency room for treatment and then discharged to go home.
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