Former first-round NFL draft pick Johnny Manziel had a successful start to his MMA career over the weekend.
The Heisman Trophy winner at Texas A&M took part in the co-main event for Brand Risk Promotions’ MMA event on Saturday against sports media influencer Bob Menery.
While neither Manziel and Menery had little prowess and experience in the ring, the former Cleveland Browns star set the tone early.
Manziel began with a running knee attempt before striking Menery repeatedly with kicks to the back and abdomen.
At one point, an over-eager Manziel tried going for a knockout blow – only to miss with his right hand and slip.
Menery attempted to counter, but missed his punch before Manziel took him down.
WARNING: VIDEO BELOW CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE
Former NFL quarterback Johnny Manziel won his debut bout in MMA over the weekend
It took just 44 seconds for Manziel to beat sports influencer Bob Menery to claim the win
![The former Heisman Trophy winner admitted that he 'fight[s] like s***' despite the victory](https://i.dailymail.com/1s/2026/05/25/20/108857629-15845041-image-a-90_1779735988256.jpg)
The former Heisman Trophy winner admitted that he ‘fight[s] like s***’ despite the victory
As Manziel sat on the influencer’s chest, he started hitting him with hammer punches over and over.
Eventually, after 44 seconds, the referee had seen enough and intervened.
Menery looked visibly upset that the fight was stopped – despite leaking blood from a forehead cut.
The influencer shared a photo of his forehead, posting it with a caption to his Instagram story.
‘Holy f***. I retired 0-1. I kept fighting. I tried,’ he wrote on his Instagram Stories. ‘He had 30 pounds on me. But pummeled me. I told you it made sense (Johnny Manziel) to do.’
Manziel jokingly responded, ‘We both fight like s***, Bobby Boy. Respect for getting in there though. I was trying to write OVO on your forehead.’
In the second event of the night, musician Ray J was knocked out by YouTube comedian Supa Hot Fire.
