Billy Manziel won’t be making a return trip to Sin City, but Johnny will.
The embattled quarterback is set to join newly minted Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio ringside for UFC 196 on Saturday night, as they watch Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz battle it out at the MGM Grand.
While Manziel will likely rub elbows with Zac Efron, Reggie Bush and Gerard Butler ahead of the main event, he’ll be doing so without a cheesy blond wig in tow.
The 23-year-old reportedly fled to Vegas with pals in early January, rocking a phony mustache and a fake name in an attempt to stay under the radar while skipping out on a Browns checkup for a concussion. While the lively posse enjoyed their stay on the Strip, they did so on the hotel’s dime: Manziel asked to be comped to avoid using a credit card with his real moniker as it would blow his cover.
Manziel is no longer using disguises to shield his late-night hijinks. Earlier this week, the soon-to-be-cut Cleveland Brown was caught on camera showering strippers with cash at a South Beach gentlemen’s club. And while Manziel’s downward spiral could be attributed to the domestic violence investigation involving ex-girlfriend Colleen Crowley, according to the second-year pro’s new lady friend, he’s trying to stay positive during this trying time.
“He’s in Miami to have fun, but having had conversations with his friends, I can tell he’s going through a tough time,” model Bianca Ghezzi tells the Daily Mail. “For the situation that’s going on, you’d think he be taking it a lot harder, but he’s trying to stay positive with everything that’s going on.”
Manziel’s case has recently been turned over to a Dallas grand jury. If charged, he may face a maximum punishment of a $4,000 fine and one year in prison.

