Conor McGregor KOs mascot, Valentina Shevchenko blushes from fan question, Charles Oliveira's appearance worries fans: MMA News Roundup

Welcome to Sportskeeda's daily MMA News Roundup, where we present the biggest UFC updates and other stories from the world of mixed martial arts.

In today's issue, we talk Conor McGregor's viral knockout of the Miami Heat mascot, Valentina Shevchenko being made to blush by superfan at UFC 289 media day, and Charles Oliveira's weigh-ins appearance that has worried fans.

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#3. Conor McGregor knocks out mascot and causes Twitter frenzy

Conor McGregor recently sent MMA fans into overdrive after he appeared at Game 4 of the NBA Finals between Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets at the Kaseya Center in Miami on Friday.

The Irishman was invited onto the court as a representative of MMA and took part in a small show to entertain the fans in attendance and at home. As part of the act, 'The Notorious' was asked to land his trademark left hand on the Miami Heat mascot.

McGregor, sporting a bright red velvet tracksuit, happily obliged and caught the mascot clean in the head as he dropped to the floor. A 'fake' team of trainers then ran to the aid of the mascot, dragging him away from the ground-and-pound by the UFC star. The announcer was then heard shouting "Put the belt on him!" after McGregor won his 'fight' against the mascot.

Watch the clip here:

After the clip went viral, MMA fans went into a frenzy in the comments. Whilst many understood that the incident was an act to gather attention, some fans opted to use the situation to take shots at the Irishman's expense. One fan wrote:

"Clearly after a WWE contract"

Another took aim at the recent form of McGregor, whose last win came against Donald Cerrone back in 2020. They wrote:

"He finally won a fight"

Twitter user @cassinnk even took a shot at McGregor's character, refusing to believe the situation was fake:

"I know this is not scripted, Conor will always be like that"

Check out more MMA fan reactions here.

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#2. Valentina Shevchenko can't stop blushing after MMA fan asks her a surprising question

Valentina Shevchenko was caught off guard by a fan this week after she was asked a surprising question during UFC 289's media day.

'Bullet' was on stage with Julianna Pena, taking questions about the upcoming pay-per-view from a mix of fans and media outlets. As the event was about to wrap up, they handed the mic to one final fan, who left everybody in the room in stitches.

The superfan asked the 35-year-old Shevchenko two personal questions:

"I've got two questions, both for Valentina Shevchenko. One, are you single? And two, do you want my number?"

The room erupted with laughter, including Shevchenko, who also immediately started to blush and couldn't hide the smile on her face. The Kyrgyzstani fighter then thanked the fan for the questions but was dubious about taking their phone number:

"Thank you! I am single but I am not sure about the number haha!"

Watch the clip here:

Valentina Shevchenko is currently preparing for her rematch with Alexa Grasso, which is expected to take place before the end of the year. 'Bullet' lost her women's flyweight title to the Mexican fighter in a major upset earlier this year, tapping out to a fourth-round face crank.

The loss was not only Shevchenko's first defeat in the flyweight division, it was also the first time she had been submitted in her entire MMA career.

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#1. Charles Oliveira's appearance at UFC 289 weigh-ins sparks fan concern

Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira is set to face rising contender Beneil Dariush in UFC 289's co-main event in Vancouver, Canada this weekend.

The bout sees Dariush put his eight-fight win streak on the line as he seeks out the opportunity to earn his first title shot in the UFC. Standing in his way is Oliveira, who is vying to get back the title he lost to the scales at UFC 274 last year.

Their bout this weekend is considered to be a title eliminator, with the winner expected to go on to face the champion Islam Makhachev in Abu Dhabi in October.

Both 'do Bronx' and Dariush successfully hit the scales on Friday to lock in their bout, but it was Charles Oliveira's gaunt appearance that sparked a sense of concern and unease amongst MMA fans.

The Brazilian had already been seen struggling with the weight cut during episodes of the UFC Embedded series, and his appearance was yet another reminder of the seriously tough week he has had.

Twitter user @marcussession even claimed that Oliveira looked the same as he did before his bout for the vacant title against Islam Makhachev at UFC 280, which he lost:

"He looked bad and in the Islam fight and we saw then he had zero power. We’ll see tomorrow but it’s not looking good."

Another fan added that they expect the Brazilian to run out of gas due to the nature of the weight cut:

"That weight cut is unsustainable for him. Will gas out so fast"

Check out more MMA fan reactions here.