Johnny Manziel stopped Bob Menery in round one, then said he's done fighting
The former Browns quarterback turned a celebrity MMA card at the UFC Apex into a first-round stoppage - and immediately ruled out a second fight.
Johnny Manziel fought Saturday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. He won. He said it was 'good enough for one time' and that he won't fight again. Twelve years after the Browns drafted him 22nd overall, that's the whole story.
What happened?
Manziel faced Bob Menery, a social media influencer, on a celebrity card organized by Brand Risk Promotions - an outfit connected to Kick streamer Adin Ross that matches former athletes and celebrities against content creators. The referee stopped the fight at 2:16 of the first round while Manziel was throwing strikes from mount position. He had landed body kicks and completed a takedown earlier in the round. Menery is 38 and had no previous combat sports background.
Is this a career pivot?
No. Manziel told reporters after the fight that 'this was good enough for one time,' closing off any talk of a follow-up. The event is better understood as a one-night curiosity than the start of a combat sports run. Former NBA players Lance Stephenson and Michael Beasley were on the same card - Stephenson submitted Beasley in the first round - which gives a sense of the competitive context.
What happened to Manziel in football?
The 2012 Heisman winner out of Texas A&M went 22nd overall to Cleveland in 2014. He threw for 1,675 yards and seven touchdowns in two seasons and was released in 2016 after a series of off-field issues. He later spent time in the CFL. A 2023 Netflix 'Untold' documentary covered his NFL rise and fall in detail. Saturday was his first significant public athletic appearance in years.
Sources
- ESPN: Johnny Manziel dominates in MMA debut, says he won't fight again
