Johnny Manziel hasn’t played in the NFL since 2015, but he showed on Saturday, May 23, that he's still an athlete. The former Cleveland Browns quarterback took to the UFC Apex Center, an MMA cage in Las Vegas, and picked up a dominating first-round win in his pro debut.

He was headlining the Brand Risk event promoted by Adin Ross. Manziel's fight against 38-year-old social media influencer Bob Menery lasted just over 2 minutes.

The former NFL player used his physical advantages; he’s 6-foot and 205 pounds, to land several clean strikes, get a takedown, and finish the fight from a full mount before the referee halted the contest.

When asked by Ross if he would get in the ring again, Manziel said, "Probably not. This was good enough for one time."

Johnny Manziel looked loose and comfortable the whole time, clearly physically prepared for his first professional MMA fight. The performance got tonnes of attention online, with fans praising his athleticism and composure inside the cage.

Manziel had never competed professionally in MMA before, so the convincing finish in the first round was a real surprise for many viewers.

The co-main event also included former NBA players Michael Beasley and Lance Stephenson, with Stephenson winning by submission in the first round. 

But with a full house of celebrities, Manziel's performance was the most talked-about moment of the night, a fitting return to the spotlight for one of the most recognisable faces in sports. 

But that spotlight was not without its long, winding road to that point after his short-lived NFL career.

How Johnny Manziel Rebuilt His Career After Leaving The NFL

Johnny Manziel won the Heisman Trophy at Texas A&M in 2012 before being selected 22nd overall by the Cleveland Browns in 2014. He threw for 1,675 yards and seven touchdowns in two NFL seasons. 

He was cut by the Browns in March of 2016 after only 15 NFL games and spent years bouncing around the CFL, the since-folded AAF, and Fan Controlled Football, none of which amounted to a sustained comeback.

By 2023, Manziel had pivoted to business and media, opening Johnny Manziel’s Money Bar in College Station and appearing in a Netflix documentary where he was open about a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and past personal struggles.  

Manziel kept it real afterwards.

"We both fight like s***, Bobby Boy. Respect for getting in there, though," the former Browns QB wrote via Instagram after the fight. 

It wasn't a martial arts show, but it was a professional win in Las Vegas, which is more than most people expected out of a retired athlete.

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Written by

Abhay Bharti

Edited by

Yask Kotak