(Editor's note: PBR release)
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Two-time reigning PBR (Professional Bull Riders) World Champion Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) knocked down two monstrous 90-point rides Saturday evening at Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas, winning the elite Unleash The Beast’s PBR Bad Boy Mowers Mowdown, his first elite tour win of 2022.
At the 10th Unleash The Best event of the 2022 season, Leme surged to No. 4 in the world standings, inching closer to attaining his unprecedented third consecutive PBR World Championship.
Leme was quick to strike in Round 1 on Friday evening, tying for second after making the 8 aboard re-ride draw Choc Tease (Cord McCoy/BuzzBallz LLC) for 89.75 points.
As Championship Saturday got underway, Leme earned his third round win of the season when he conquered Hang Em High (Bryan T. Smith/Nathan Doss) for 90.25 points.
Catapulted to the top of the event leaderboard, Leme was in possession of the first pick in the championship round bull draft. With his pick of the rank pen, the former semi-professional soccer player passed on Woopaa (Barker Bulls/Hookin’ W Ranch), an opponent with whom he had registered the two highest-scored rides in PBR history, and instead made a strategic choice to go head-to-head with Diddy Wa Diddy (Cord McCoy/Bill McCarty).
A familiar showdown, Leme rode the powerful animal athlete for 93.25 points in May 2021 en route to his event win at the premier series event in Billings, Montana.
Leme was again a picture of perfection aboard Diddy Wa Diddy, matching the bull jump-for-jump to earn a 92-point score, clinching the PBR Bad Boy Mowers Mowdown event win. The 90-point score was Leme’s PBR-best fourth of the season and the 59th of his career.
For his efforts, Leme earned a check for $46,914 along with a critical 145.5 world points. While he traveled to Simmons Bank Arena ranked No. 9 in the world, Leme cracked the Top 5 for the first time this season. He is now ranked No. 4 in the standings, within a mere 160.66 points of No. 1 Daylon Swearingen (Piffard, New York).
Should Leme once again be crowned the PBR World Champion in 2022, the stoic Brazilian would become the first rider in history to win the honor in three consecutive seasons and just the third three-time PBR World Champion.
Atop the World Championship race, both No. 1 Swearingen and No. 2 Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Brazil) were shut out inside Simmons Bank Arena. No. 3 Kyler Oliver (Roy, Utah) went 1-for-2 to finish eighth, garnering 34 world points, but was unable to compete in the championship round after straining his right groin in the second round.
Swearingen continues to lead Vieira by 75.66 points but is now just 144.16 points ahead of No. 3 Oliver.
As the only other rider to go a perfect 3-for-3, Manoelito de Souza Junior (Itamira, Brazil) finished a career-best second at the PBR Bad Boy Mowers Mowdown, earning $21,145 and 106.5 world points.
Souza advanced to the final round second in the standings after covering Homegrown (Cord McCoy/Chad Reese) for 89.5 points in Round 1 and Skull Crusher (Shuler Bucking Bulls) for 87 points in Round 2.
With the second selection in the bull draft, Souza was quick to choose reigning YETI PBR World Champion Bull Woopaa as his final animal athlete opponent.
Souza then delivered the high-marked ride of his career and first 90-point effort on the premier series, covering Woopaa for a commanding, and championship round-best, 92.75 points.
The 26-year-old’s silver finish gained him seven positions in the world standings, elevating him from No. 20 to No. 13. Souza is now within 357.16 points of the No. 1 rank and 39 points of the Top 10.
Mauricio Moreira (Gaviao Peixoto, Brazil) and home-state hopeful Chase Outlaw (Hamburg, Arkansas) tied for third.
Moreira was sensational on Championship Saturday as he sought to rebound from a 6.52-second buckoff dealt to him by High Hopes (Stevens Bucking Bulls) in Round 1.
The surging young gun first put points on the board when he covered Jersey Tuff (McClellan/Ligard/Hart) for 89.25 points in Round 2.
Moreira then rocketed up the event leaderboard in the final round when he went the distance atop I’m Legit Too (Hart Cattle Co./Hale) for 90.5 points.
The charismatic Brazilian exited the venue with a check for $11,457 and 63.5 world points. He maintained his No. 5 rank in the world but inched within 189.66 points of top-ranked Swearingen.
For Outlaw, the North Little Rock event marked his first event back since late January when he sustained a groin injury in the practice pen.
Returning in time to compete in front of a home-state crowd, Outlaw covered his very first draw back, riding Night Moves (Cord McCoy/David Wolfe) for 88.75 points.
Despite bucking off Vanilla Ice (Lightning Livestock/Blake Sharp) in 3.46 seconds in Round 2, Outlaw returned determined in the championship round to face off against Big Black (K-C Bucking Bulls/Joe & Nina Webb) for the fifth time in his career. In their previous four showdowns, Outlaw was perfect, recording a 90-point score in each meeting.
Repeating his past success, Outlaw again bested Big Black, this time for 91 points. The 90-point ride was the 13th of Outlaw’s career and first since the 2019 PBR World Finals, when he rode Big Black for 91.5 points in Round 5 of the marathon event.
Outlaw collected $10,111 along with 60.5 world points. He climbed 20 positions in the 2022 PBR World Championship race, rising from No. 47 to No. 27.
Rounding out the Top 5 in fifth was Lane Nobles (West, Texas).
Nobles’s efforts were highlighted by back-to-back rides in the opening rounds, first riding Moon Taxi (Blake Sharp/CB & Traci Lee) for 88.5 points in Round 1 and then going the distance atop Choc Tease in Round 2.
The Texan garnered 45 world points, elevated from No. 52 to No. 33 in the world.
In the bull pen, no bovine athlete could out-buck Ridin Solo (Cord McCoy/Bill McCarty), who earned the coveted title of YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Event.
Delivering the top bull score to date of 2022, Ridin Solo dispatched 2019 PBR Rookie of the Year Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas) in a quick 4.65 seconds to earn a 47.5-point score.
Ridin Solo is now in firm control of the No. 1 position in the 2022 PBR World Championship Bull race. With a 46.1-point world average, Ridin Solo leads No. 2 Woopaa by 0.41 points.
Saturday the PBR travels to Arlington, Texas, for the 2022 PBR Global Cup USA at AT&T Stadium before heading to Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, for the PBR U.S. Border Patrol Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires Saturday, March 12 at 6:45 p.m. MST, and Sunday, March 13 at 1:45 p.m. MST.
Elsewhere in the PBR, the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour was in action in Worcester, Massachusetts.
In front of a raucous capacity crowd inside DCU Center, Casey Coulter (Kirksville, Missouri) reached a critical career milestone. As the only rider to go a perfect 2-for-2, Coulter won the PBR Worcester Rumble, his career-first victory on the organization’s expansion series.
The 31-year-old was quick to strike in Round 1, registering a qualified ride aboard Fort Down (JR Phillips) in the bovine athlete’s PBR debut. Reaching the requisite 8 for 84.5 points, Coulter advanced to the championship round tied for third on the event leaderboard.
Coulter then readied to go head-to-head against Crazed Addiction (Cornwell Bucking Bulls) in the final round. Poised, Coulter tied for the round win, clinching the golden finish as he emerged the more dominant athlete, covering Crazed Addiction for another 84.5-point score.
For his efforts, Coulter earned a critical 38 world points. Attempting to qualify for the first PBR World Finals of his career at season’s end, Coulter surged 15 positions in the rankings, climbing from No. 58 to No. 43.
The 2022 PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour season continues on March 5 in both Hampton, Virginia, and Charleston, West Virginia. Action for both the PBR Hampton Classic at the Hampton Coliseum, and the PBR Capital City Classic at Charleston Civic Center begin at 7 p.m. EST.
Stay tuned to PBR.com for the latest news and results and be sure to follow the league on all social media platforms at @PBR.
PBR Unleash The BeastPBR Bad Boy Mowers MowdownSimmons Bank Arena – North Little Rock, ArkansasEvent Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Jose Vitor Leme, 89.75-90.25-92-272.00-145.5 Points.
2. Manoelito de Souza Junior, 89.5-87-92.75-269.25-106.5 Points.
3. Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 0-89.25-90.5-179.75-63.5 Points.
(tie). Chase Outlaw, 88.75-0-91-179.75-60.5 Points.
5. Lane Nobles, 88.5-88-0-176.50-45 Points.
6. Brennon Eldred, 87.75-86.75-0-174.50-32 Points.
7. Claudio Montanha Jr., 87.75-85-0-172.75-24.5 Points.
8. Kyler Oliver, 90-0-0-90.00-34 Points.
9. Dalton Kasel, 89.75-0-0-89.75-21.5 Points.
10. Rafael Henrique dos Santos, 89.25-0-0-89.25-17 Points.
11. Chase Dougherty, 0-88.25-0-88.25-17 Points.
(tie). Silvano Alves, 0-88.25-0-88.25-17 Points.
13. Francisco Morales, 88-0-0-88.00-12 Points.
14. Dener Barbosa, 0-87.5-0-87.50-13.5 Points.
(tie). Ezekiel Mitchell, 0-87.5-0-87.50-13.5 Points.
16. Ramon de Lima, 0-87-0-87.00-11.5 Points.
17. João Henrique Lucas, 0-86.75-0-86.75-9.5 Points.
18. Mason Taylor, 86-0-0-86.00-9 Points.
19. Clayton Sellars, 0-85.25-0-85.25-8 Points.
20. Bob Mitchell, 82.25-0-0-82.25-8 Points.
Daylon Swearingen, 0-0-0-0.00
João Ricardo Vieira, 0-0-0-0.00
Stetson Lawrence, 0-0-0-0.00
Eli Vastbinder, 0-0-0-0.00
Luciano De Castro, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody Teel, 0-0-0-0.00
Marcelo Procopio Pereira, 0-0-0-0.00
Derek Kolbaba, 0-0-0-0.00
Andrew Alvidrez, 0-0-0-0.00
Matt Triplett, 0-0-0-0.00
Eduardo Aparecido, 0-0-0-0.00
Dakota Louis, 0-0-0-0.00
Brady Fielder, 0-0-0-0.00
Keyshawn Whitehorse, 0-0-0-0.00
Kaique Pacheco, 0-0-0-0.00
Jesse Petri, 0-0-0-0.00
Koltin Hevalow, 0-0-0-0.00
Brandon Davis, 0-0-0-0.00
Cole Skender, 0-0-0-0.00
PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour
PBR Worcester Rumble
DCU Center – Worcester, Massachusetts
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2- Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Casey Coulter, 84.5-84.5-169.00-38 Points.
2. Fernando Henrique Novais, 86.5-0-86.50-27 Points.
3. Tye Chandler, 85.5-0-85.50-14 Points.
4. Thor Hoefer II [1], 0-84.5-84.50-10.5 Points.
(tie). Grayson Cole [2], 84.5-0-84.50-7.5 Points.
6. Alisson De Souza, 83.5-0-83.50-4 Points.
7. Grayson Cole [1], 83-0-83.00-3 Points.
8. Rodrigo Melgar, 82.5-0-82.50-1 Points.
9. Victor Soares, 81-0-81.00
Marcos Gloria, 0-0-0.00
Conner Halverson, 0-0-0.00
Blake Smith, 0-0-0.00
Mason Moody, 0-0-0.00
Elijah Mora, 0-0-0.00
Justin Houston, 0-0-0.00
Thor Hoefer II [2], 0-0-0.00
Matt Allgood, 0-0-0.00
Cody McCandless, 0-0-0.00
Cody Hudson, 0-0-0.00
Dustin Martinez, 0-0-0.00
River Stephenson, 0-0-0.00
Joao Paulo Fernandes, 0-0-0.00
Alex Jenks, 0-0-0.00
Caic Cassio Carvalho, 0-0-0.00
Kyle Jones, 0-0-0.00
Jake Morinec, 0-0-0.00
Eduardo de Oliveira, 0-0-0.00
Keith Hall, 0-0-0.00
Matt Oliver, 0-0-0.00
Eder Barbosa, 0-0-0.00
Warlen Aquino, 0-0-0.00
Joseph Petersheim, 0-0-0.00
Felipe Nogueira, 0-0-0.00
Dave Feldpausch, 0-0-0.00
Michael Phillips, 0-0-0.00
David Woods, 0-0-0.00
Ben Havill, 0-0-0.00
Kevin Wickey, 0-0-0.00
Will Loomis, 0-0-0.00
Jared Avina, 0-0-0.00
2022 PBR World Standings
(Place, Rider, Events, Wins, Top 5's, Points, Total Winnings)
1. Daylon Swearingen, 16, 4, 7, 582.16, $170,606.89
2. João Ricardo Vieira, 14, 3, 5, 506.50, $110,817.45
3. Kyler Oliver, 15, 2, 3, 438.00, $112,682.95
4. Jose Vitor Leme, 8, 2, 5, 421.50, $93,834.67
5. Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 16, 1, 4, 392.50, $87,180.55
6. Stetson Lawrence, 14, 1, 4, 386.00, $84,743.00
7. Eli Vastbinder, 12, 0, 4, 319.50, $38,854.67
8. Luciano De Castro, 12, 2, 5, 302.50, $47,521.90
9. Dener Barbosa, 13, 0, 3, 300.00, $51,087.83
10. Dalton Kasel, 13, 0, 2, 264.00, $42,596.67
11. Austin Richardson, 8, 1, 2, 242.00, $58,360.00
12. Mason Taylor, 13, 1, 1, 233.50, $62,910.50
13. Manoelito de Souza Junior, 11, 1, 4, 225.00, $39,992.63
14. Bob Mitchell, 13, 0, 5, 191.50, $30,453.78
15. Cody Teel, 13, 0, 1, 170.00, $27,649.66
16. Marcelo Procopio Pereira, 14, 1, 1, 167.50, $46,395.17
17. Chase Dougherty, 12, 0, 1, 157.50, $16,574.50
18. Marco Eguchi, 9, 0, 1, 153.50, $32,859.00
19. Rafael Henrique dos Santos, 9, 0, 1, 150.00, $21,622.67
20. Derek Kolbaba, 9, 0, 1, 142.50, $31,195.50
21. Claudio Montanha Jr., 11, 0, 0, 117.66, $9,870.00
22. Cole Melancon, 6, 0, 1, 114.16, $18,462.00
23. Andrew Alvidrez, 12, 0, 1, 114.00, $15,905.00
24. Alex Cardozo, 9, 0, 1, 112.00, $20,698.71
25. Clayton Sellars, 13, 0, 4, 109.25, $21,426.72
26. Cannon Cravens, 6, 0, 0, 109.00, $12,346.00
27. Chase Outlaw, 5, 0, 2, 108.50, $15,811.00
28. Ramon de Lima, 9, 1, 3, 108.00, $15,575.81
29. Matt Triplett, 9, 1, 4, 106.50, $19,490.57
30. Cooper Davis, 4, 0, 0, 95.00, $11,546.00
31. Brennon Eldred, 6, 0, 1, 94.00, $11,016.67
32. Silvano Alves, 11, 0, 0, 92.50, $6,017.50
33. Lane Nobles, 8, 1, 2, 89.50, $24,704.48
34. Eduardo Aparecido, 8, 0, 2, 89.00, $15,182.00
35. Ezekiel Mitchell, 11, 0, 1, 88.50, $10,934.98
36. Dakota Louis, 12, 1, 2, 87.75, $14,081.59
37. Brady Oleson, 8, 1, 2, 87.50, $15,989.38
38. João Henrique Lucas, 11, 0, 1, 85.50, $7,085.00
39. Brady Fielder, 7, 2, 5, 84.00, $14,954.42
40. Boudreaux Campbell, 8, 1, 1, 80.50, $13,470.98
41. Francisco Morales, 8, 1, 2, 78.33, $12,258.00
42. Marcos Gloria, 9, 2, 3, 76.83, $15,589.44
43. Casey Coulter, 9, 1, 4, 76.50, $16,414.51
44. Sam Woodall, 6, 1, 2, 66.00, $9,823.02
45. Tye Chandler, 6, 1, 2, 61.00, $11,011.00
