Conor McGregor could reportedly lose a lucrative sponsorship deal following an incident involving a mascot last month.
The Notorious punched Burnie, the mascot of Miami Heat basketball team, during a stunt at an NBA match, with the man in the mascot suit requiring hospital treatment afterwards. A woman also accused McGregor of sexual assault at the game in Florida, claims that the UFC star strongly denied.
A lawyer for McGregor said the claims were "no more than a shakedown". Reports in America claim that McGregor's Tidl Sports spray logo was to become the “official pain relief partner” of the Miami Heat team and players would wear a Tidl Sports patch on their jerseys as part of the deal.
However, celebrity website Page Six reports that the deal may now not go ahead.
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An 'insider' told Page Six: "This was very bad for an otherwise crystal clean organization. I can’t imagine the Heat brass want the Tidl Sports patch on their jerseys — it’s a reminder of the 24 hours of hell the organization went through."
Shortly after the incident with Burnie, McGregor said the man who played him was "good".
He told TMZ: The mascot is good. It was a skit, and all is well. I spent a lot of time with him afterwards, we talked it out, everything is great. It was all part of the show."
UFC President Dana White said that mascots being punched by professional fighters wasn't "the brightest thing in the world".
"What's up with mascots wanting to get punched in the face by professional fighters? What do you expect?" White asked.
"What are those mascot things made out of? Unless you're like the Golden Knights mascot... I'm assuming it's a metal helmet... 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."
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