Dana White has spent years transforming the UFC Apex into one of the most recognizable combat sports venues. However, on May 23, during one of the UFC’s rare off-weeks, the venue will host something entirely different: an event based less on rankings and titles and more on chaos, celebrity, and internet fame.

Welcome to Brand Risk 14. The event, promoted by streamer Adin Ross and backed by White’s venue, marks Brand Risk Promotions’ jump from viral boxing into MMA.

And, naturally, the headline fight is as unconventional as it gets: former NFL star Johnny Manziel will face influencer Bob Menery inside the Apex in Las Vegas, as announced on Instagram today.

“Brand Risk Promotions Event 14 #BRP14,” the caption read as the official poster was shared by the promotion. “Johnny Manziel vs. Bob Menery 🥊 May 23rd, 2026 | SATURDAY 📅 UFC APEX, Las Vegas, Nevada 🇺🇸”

Manziel, once one of football’s brightest and most polarizing talents, has remained a magnet for headlines long after his NFL career ended. From substance abuse issues to serious off-field legal allegations, his NFL career saw it all.

Now, he is now entering a new realm, one built on spectacle, controversy, and the type of crossover attention that modern fight promotions increasingly seek. And indeed, this seems to be the logical next step for Brand Risk.

The promotion has already achieved viral popularity by focusing on odd, headline-grabbing matchups, most notably its boxing bout between Adam22 and Jason Luv, which turned years of internet chaos into a knockout spectacle.

Now, with Dana White opening the doors of the UFC Apex and a controversial sports star leading the card, Brand Risk is trying to transition from a novelty act to a serious entertainment machine.

Whether that produces real MMA or just another spectacle is almost secondary, as the objective is that people will watch. But if you ask Dana White, he sure has high doubts about the main event. In fact, he has already placed a $10,000 wager on the Bob Menery vs. Johnny Manziel fight falling out before fight night.

Dana White places his bets on Bob Menery skipping the Johnny Manziel fight

That is what makes the whole experiment even stranger. While Adin Ross is marketing the fight and UFC Apex is hosting it, Dana White himself does not seem fully convinced the main event will even happen. In fact, he seems more confident in chaos than in commitment.

So confident, he put $10,000 on it. The UFC head honcho recently revealed that when Bob Menery asked who he would back in a fight against Johnny Manziel, he said neither man. Instead, Dana White stated that he would bet on Menery not showing up at all.

“I said, ‘I’m betting on you don’t even show up; that’s my bet,’” the UFC CEO said on Instagram. “Menery never does anything he says he’s going to do. So Adin Ross’ fight show in Miami, Menery vs. Manziel, Polymarket put a bet on it where you can bet whether he shows up or not.

“There’s no way 49 per cent of people believe in Bob Menery and that he’s going to show up. There’s no way in hell, so I’m betting $10,000 Menery does not show up.”

Dana White further added a twist that explains everything about the curiosity surrounding this clash. If Bob Menery stays the course and looks set to fight, the UFC CEO said that he will skip his own night in Las Vegas and fly out to watch the Brand Risk 14 main event in person.

“Bob, if you do and the night before it looks like you’re going to fight, I’m flying to Miami to watch this one,” he said.

That is the contradiction at the heart of Brand Risk 14: no one completely believes it, yet everyone wants to see if it becomes a reality.