Career-Best Score Propels Marcelo Procopio Pereira to First PBR Unleash The Beast Event Win in Duluth, Georgia

DULUTH, Ga. – Marcelo Procopio Pereira (Rinopolis, Brazil) delivered a career-best performance in Duluth, Georgia, to win his first elite Unleash The Beast event Sunday afternoon, capping his flawless performance inside Gas South Arena with the top ride score of his tenure with the PBR.

Pereira’s march to the top of the Can-Am Cage began Saturday, when he was one of 17 riders to deliver a qualified ride in Round 1 of the PBR Gwinnett Invitational, making the 8 aboard GT Flying High (Torres Brothers Bucking Bulls LLC) for 86 points.

The 26-year-old then surged from 15^th to second on the event leaderboard when he capitalized on re-ride draw Dirty Sancho (Blake Sharp/Koe Wetzel/High Voltage Cattle) in Round 2 for an 86.75-point score, bringing the raucous Peach State crowd to its feet.

With the second pick in the championship round bull draft, Pereira opted to go head-to-head with YETI PBR World Champion Bull contender Chiseled (Flinn/D&H Cattle Co.). In a decision which paid dividends, Pereira matched the striking animal athlete jump-for-jump en route to the high-marked score of his career – 91.75 points.

Pereira’s perfect showing earned him a check for $43,216.67 along with 130 world points.

After beginning the event No. 68 in the standings, Pereira surged 61 positions, now firmly inside the Top 10 as the No. 7-ranked rider. He trails the top position held by Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Brazil) by 198 points.

After missing the first three events of the season as he continued to rehab a core muscle injury sustained in 2021, two-time reigning PBR World Champion Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) made his season debut in Duluth.

Leme’s much-anticipated return was shrouded by injury in Round 1. After bucking off Blue Duck (Davis Rodeo Ranch) in 3.92 seconds, Leme was launched airborne, bouncing off the back of the animal athlete and dislocating a joint in the thumb of his free hand as he hit the dirt

In true cowboy fashion, Leme returned with his thumb taped and splinted on Championship Sunday, ready to take on Cold Chill (D&H Cattle Co./Futrell) in Round 2.

Leme was in near-picture-perfect form aboard the bull, earning one of the 12 spots in the final round as he made the 8, tying for second in Round 2 and marked 88.5 points.

Holding the penultimate pick in the bull draft, Leme opted to take on Mike’s Motive (Blake Sharp/High Voltage Cattle/American Spirits/Koe Wetzel) as his championship round opponent. For Leme, the matchup was new; however, in 2021, he watched as 2016 PBR World Champion Cooper Davis (Jasper, Texas) used a 90-point ride aboard the bull to win the Unleash The Beast tour stop in Jacksonville, Florida.

Leme remained poised as he climbed aboard Mike’s Motive, remaining in control as the chute gates burst open, and was marked 89.25 points on his second ride of the afternoon.

Awarded a check for $14,309.67 and 70.5 world points, Leme skyrocketed from unranked to No. 16 in the world standings. He now trails the No. 1 rank by 270.5 points.

Should Leme conclude the 2022 season as the PBR World Champion, he would tie Adriano Moraes (Cachoeira Paulista, Brazil) and Silvano Alves (Pilar do Sul, Brazil) for most gold buckles earned by one rider. Leme would become the first ever to accomplish the feat in consecutive seasons.

As the only other rider to go a perfect 3-for-3 at the PBR Gwinnett Invitational, Daylon Swearingen (Piffard, New York) was second, netting $21,455.67 and 94.5 world points.

Swearingen reached the final round third in the event after riding Crystal Fox (Hart Cattle Company) for 84 points in Round 1 and Mr. Nasty (Blake Sharp/Koe Wetzel/Cody O’Neil) for 88.5 points in Round 2.

The 22-year-old then clinched the silver finish in the championship round when he recorded the seventh 90-point ride of his elite tour career and first since August 2021, riding Montana Jacket (Hart Cattle Company) for 90.75 points.

Swearingen gained one position in the world standings, rising from No. 4 to No. 3. He trails No. 1 Vieira by 79.34 points.

Fourth was Chase Dougherty (Decatur, Texas).

The charismatic Texan began the fourth Unleash The Beast event of 2022 in successful fashion, covering Cooter Brown (Lucas Manning/Waller Brothers Cattle Co.) for 86.75 points in Round 1.

Dougherty then vaulted to the top of the leaderboard when he rode Flight Risk (D&H Cattle Company) for 87.25 points in Round 2.

Dougherty then used his first selection in the championship round bull draft to architect a showdown with reigning YETI PBR World Champion Bull Woopaa (Barker Bulls/Hookin’ W Ranch), who was making his season debut in Duluth.

As the powerful red bull burst from the chutes, Dougherty was unseated at the 3.21-second mark, squashing his hopes of earning his first elite tour event victory.

While the trip may not have ended in victory for Dougherty, it did end in an event title for Woopaa. Scored 46.5 points, Woopaa was anointed the YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Event.

The Top-5 finish earned Dougherty a critical 43.5 points, allowing him to crack the world’s Top 15. Now ranked No. 15, he is within 264.5 points of the No. 1 spot.

In fifth was Round 1 winner Brennon Eldred (Sulphur, Oklahoma).

Earning the placement courtesy of his 90.75-point ride on Gangster Bones (Rickey West/Steve Freeman/2R Bucking Bulls) in the opening round, Eldred left Gas South Arena having earned 46 world points.

In the early 2022 PBR World Championship race, Eldred rose from unranked to No. 29.

Fans unable to attend the event can tune into the action from Championship Sunday when CBS Sports Network televises the final day in Duluth on Sunday, January 23 at 8 p.m. EST.

The PBR Unleash The Beast next travels to the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, for the PBR Wrangler Long Live Cowboys Classic, presented by Bass Pro Shops. The event will be on Friday, January 28 at 7:45 p.m. PST, Saturday, January 29 at 6:45 p.m. PST and Sunday, January 30 at 1:45 p.m. PST. 

PBR RidePass on PlutoTV will offer re-airs and on-demand replays of every PBR Unleash The Beast event. PBR RidePass is available on desktops, laptops and mobile devices via www.pluto.tv. Tune to channel 720 for the latest programming schedule, and click here for on-demand PBR programming.

Elsewhere in the PBR, the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour was in action in both Greenville, South Carolina, and Spokane, Washington.

In South Carolina, Marcos Gloria (Central de Minas, Brazil) delivered a perfect 2-for-2 performance in front of the capacity crowd inside Bon Secours Wellness Arena to win the PBR Greenville Invitational.

Gloria got off to a hot start in Round 1 of the Palmetto State event, tying for second after he rode Barnett’s Row (JR Phillips) for 86.5 points. The 31-year-old Brazilian then catapulted to the event lead when he bested Pneu Dart’s Black Label (Mike Miller Bucking Bulls) for a championship-round-best 87.5 points.

For his efforts, Gloria collected a crucial 40.5 world points. After beginning the tour stop ranked No. 80 in the world, Gloria surged 60 positions in the world rankings compliments of the golden finish, now No. 20.

Across the country in Washington, seven-time PBR World Finals qualifier Matt Triplett (Canton, South Dakota) parlayed a Round 1 win into an event victory at the PBR Spokane Classic.

Triplett was paired with Trasher (Howell Rodeo Company Inc.) in the opening round, firing out of the chutes for an impressive, round-winning 87.5 points.

As the extraordinary animal athletes of the PBR dominated all 10 matchups in the championship round, the 30-year-old native Montanan cowboy was bested after a mere 2.14 seconds by Agent 88 (Howell Rodeo Company Inc.) as the night ended.

The PBR veteran left Spokane with 37 world points, now ranked No. 12 in the world standings.

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 Beast
PBR Gwinnett Invitational
Gas South Arena – Duluth, Georgia
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)

1. Marcelo Procopio Pereira, 86-86.75-91.75-264.50-130 Points.

2. Daylon Swearingen, 84-88.5-90.75-263.25-94.5 Points.

3. Jose Vitor Leme, 0-88.5-89.25-177.75-70.5 Points.

4. Chase Dougherty, 86.75-87.25-0-174.00-43.5 Points.

5. Brennon Eldred, 90.75-0-0-90.75-46 Points.

6. Derek Kolbaba, 89.5-0-0-89.50-26.5 Points.

(tie). Marco Eguchi, 89.5-0-0-89.50-26.5 Points.

8. Kyler Oliver, 89-0-0-89.00-21 Points.

9. João Ricardo Vieira, 88.75-0-0-88.75-18 Points.

(tie). Austin Richardson, 0-88.75-0-88.75-31 Points.

11. Rafael Henrique dos Santos, 88.5-0-0-88.50-15 Points.

12. Cody Teel, 88.25-0-0-88.25-13 Points.

13. Eli Vastbinder, 0-88-0-88.00-16 Points.

14. João Henrique Lucas, 87.5-0-0-87.50-12 Points.

15. Cooper Davis, 87.25-0-0-87.25-11 Points.

(tie). Silvano Alves, 0-87.25-0-87.25-14.5 Points.

17. Mason Taylor, 87-0-0-87.00-9.5 Points.

(tie). Lane Nobles, 87-0-0-87.00-9.5 Points.

19. Taylor Toves, 86.75-0-0-86.75-8 Points.

20. Dener Barbosa, 0-86.25-0-86.25-12 Points.

(tie). Andrew Alvidrez, 86.25-0-0-86.25-8 Points.

22. Manoelito de Souza Junior, 83.25-0-0-83.25

Stetson Lawrence, 0-0-0-0.00

Alex Cardozo, 0-0-0-0.00

Dalton Kasel, 0-0-0-0.00

Sam Woodall, 0-0-0-0.00

Cannon Cravens, 0-0-0-0.00

Keyshawn Whitehorse, 0-0-0-0.00

Chase Outlaw, 0-0-0-0.00

Ezekiel Mitchell, 0-0-0-0.00

Jesse Petri, 0-0-0-0.00

Claudio Montanha Jr., 0-0-0-0.00

Eduardo Aparecido, 0-0-0-0.00

Conner Halverson, 0-0-0-0.00

Adriano Salgado, 0-0-0-0.00

Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 0-0-0-0.00

Boudreaux Campbell, 0-0-0-0.00

Kaique Pacheco, 0-0-0-0.00

Paulo Ferreira Lima, 0-0-0-0.00

Fernando Henrique Novais, 0-0-0-0.00

PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour
PBR Greenville Invitational
Bon Secours Wellness Arena – Greenville, South Carolina
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2- Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Marcos Gloria, 86.5-87.5-174.00-40.5 Points.

2. Bob Mitchell, 85-82-167.00-25 Points.

3. Alex Marcilio, 88-0-88.00-17 Points.

4. Seth White, 86.5-0-86.50-9.5 Points.

5. Caden Bunch, 85.5-0-85.50-6 Points.

6. Quentin Vaught, 85-0-85.00-3.5 Points.

(tie). Justin Ethridge, 85-0-85.00-3.5 Points.

8. Griffin Smeltzer, 83.5-0-83.50

9. Kyle Jones, 81-0-81.00

10. Ky Hamilton, 80-0-80.00

11. Dalton Krantz, 76.5-0-76.50

Luciano De Castro, 0-0-0.00

Leonardo Lima, 0-0-0.00

Clayton Sellars, 0-0-0.00

Cole Skender, 0-0-0.00

Cole Ivey, 0-0-0.00

Kade Alberty, 0-0-0.00

Lucas Divino, 0-0-0.00

Dakota Eagleburger, 0-0-0.00

Ramon de Lima, 0-0-0.00

Ednei Caminhas, 0-0-0.00

Zach Miles, 0-0-0.00

Grayson Cole, 0-0-0.00

Carlos Garcia, 0-0-0.00

Eli Byler, 0-0-0.00

Eduardo de Oliveira, 0-0-0.00

Flávio Vinícius da Silva, 0-0-0.00

Bryan Titman, 0-0-0.00

Trace Brown, 0-0-0.00

Hayden Harris, 0-0-0.00

Cody McCandless, 0-0-0.00

Eder Barbosa, 0-0-0.00

Alex Jenks, 0-0-0.00

Carlos Gomes Junior, 0-0-0.00

Devin Hager, 0-0-0.00

Eli Miller, 0-0-0.00

Casey Roberts, 0-0-0.00

Tylor Cabe, 0-0-0.00

Brandon Davis, 0-0-0.00

Tristen Marshall, 0-0-0.00

PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour
PBR Spokane Classic
Spokane Arena – Spokane, Washington
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2- Event Aggregate-Event Points)

1. Matt Triplett, 87.5-0-87.50-37 Points.
2. Brady Oleson, 84.5-0-84.50-24 Points.
3. Colt Robinson, 83.5-0-83.50-13 Points.
4. Cody Casper, 81.5-0-81.50-8 Points.
5. Dawson Branton, 80.5-0-80.50-4.5 Points.
(tie). Thor Hoefer II, 80.5-0-80.50-4.5 Points.
7. Javier Garcia, 79-0-79.00-3 Points.
8. Fernando da Conceicao, 78-0-78.00
Cladson Rodolfo, 0-0-0.00
Dalton Rudman, 0-0-0.00
Aaron Williams, 0-0-0.00
Ashton Sahli, 0-0-0.00
Jake Lockwood, 0-0-0.00
D.J. Parker, 0-0-0.00
Jory Markiss [1], 0-0-0.00
Jory Markiss [2], 0-0-0.00
Coy Robbins, 0-0-0.00
Justin Houston, 0-0-0.00
Greg Shannon, 0-0-0.00
Dakota Louis, 0-0-0.00
Gage Gay, 0-0-0.00
Luis Blanco, 0-0-0.00
Dalton Davis, 0-0-0.00
Brock Radford, 0-0-0.00
Jake Davis, 0-0-0.00
Cody Campbell, 0-0-0.00
Kache Moosman, 0-0-0.00
Paul Knight, 0-0-0.00
Dallee Mason, 0-0-0.00
Alex Maves, 0-0-0.00
Matt Hennelly, 0-0-0.00
Weston Hartman, 0-0-0.00
Vinicius dos Santos, 0-0-0.00
Hunter Salter, 0-0-0.00
Zach Laney, 0-0-0.00
Isaac Gutierrez, 0-0-0.00
Zerrick Ponder, 0-0-0.00
Cody Rouse, 0-0-0.00
Blaine Wiggins, 0-0-0.00
Colton Schneiderman, 0-0-0.00

2022 PBR World Standings

(Place, Rider, Events, Wins, Top 5’s, Points, Total Winnings)

1. João Ricardo Vieira, 6, 2, 4, 341.00, $65,913.95

2. Kyler Oliver, 7, 2, 3, 320.00, $97,673.61

3. Daylon Swearingen, 9, 2, 4, 261.66, $64,718.72

4. Stetson Lawrence, 7, 1, 2, 217.00, $52,125.00

5. Dener Barbosa, 6, 0, 2, 174.00, $33,849.83

6. Mason Taylor, 5, 1, 1, 168.50, $57,262.50

7. Marcelo Procopio Pereira, 6, 1, 1, 143.00, $45,395.17

8. Cole Melancon, 5, 0, 1, 114.16, $18,462.00

9. Alex Cardozo, 3, 0, 1, 112.00, $20,698.71

10. Manoelito de Souza Junior, 9, 1, 3, 110.50, $18,847.63

11. Austin Richardson, 5, 0, 1, 104.00, $13,880.00

12. Dalton Kasel, 5, 0, 1, 96.50, $15,846.00

13. Andrew Alvidrez, 5, 0, 1, 84.00, $13,600.00

14. Matt Triplett, 5, 1, 4, 80.50, $17,680.57

15. Chase Dougherty, 5, 0, 1, 76.50, $8,497.00

16. Jose Vitor Leme, 1, 0, 1, 70.50, $14,309.67

17. Sam Woodall, 5, 1, 2, 66.00, $9,823.02

18. Brady Oleson, 3, 1, 2, 64.00, $15,564.38

19. João Henrique Lucas, 5, 0, 1, 60.00, $7,085.00

20. Bob Mitchell, 6, 0, 3, 57.00, $16,265.78

21. Cannon Cravens, 4, 0, 0, 56.50, $5,700.00

22. Cooper Davis, 3, 0, 0, 55.00, $7,000.00

23. Brady Fielder, 4, 0, 3, 54.00, $9,682.44

24. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 6, 0, 0, 49.66, $4,370.00

25. Marcos Gloria, 4, 2, 2, 48.50, $11,233.44

26. Derek Kolbaba, 4, 0, 0, 48.00, $5,923.00

26. Chase Outlaw, 4, 0, 1, 48.00, $5,700.00

28. Wyatt Rogers, 6, 1, 2, 46.75, $14,782.53

29. Brennon Eldred, 1, 0, 1, 46.00, $7,180.00

30. Aaron Kleier, 3, 1, 3, 45.50, $26,806.31

31. Lane Nobles, 3, 1, 1, 44.50, $19,844.48

32. Eli Vastbinder, 4, 0, 0, 42.50, $2,900.00

32. Cody Teel, 6, 0, 0, 42.50, $7,286.32

34. Silvano Alves, 5, 0, 0, 42.00, $705.00

35. Ezekiel Mitchell, 5, 0, 0, 41.00, $5,080.00

36. Cody Jesus, 4, 0, 1, 40.00, $8,015.00

37. Jesse Petri, 5, 0, 1, 39.50, $5,700.00

37. Dawson Branton, 5, 0, 3, 39.50, $9,330.21

39. Cladson Rodolfo, 6, 1, 1, 38.50, $7,170.25

40. Todd Chotowetz, 1, 0, 1, 38.00, $20,042.90

41. Luciano De Castro, 4, 1, 2, 37.50, $9,468.23

42. Claudio Montanha Jr., 6, 0, 0, 35.66, $4,270.00

43. Marco Eguchi, 4, 0, 0, 34.50, $4,473.00

44. Cody Coverchuk, 2, 0, 2, 30.50, $54,748.11

45. Eduardo Aparecido, 3, 0, 0, 28.00, $4,300.00

45. Leonardo Lima, 5, 0, 1, 28.00, $4,083.33

Press Release was provided Courtesy of PBR to Tenn Texas Media
Photo / Video By: Andy Watson / Bull Stock Media

ABOUT THE PBR
Headquartered in Pueblo, Colo., PBR was created in 1992 by a group of 20 visionary bull riders who broke away from the traditional rodeo scene, seeking mainstream attention, new riches and a livelihood for future generations of cowboys for the most popular discipline in rodeo, bull riding.

“We wanted to create a better product for the fans, so that when they tuned in they were seeing the best of the best every time,” said PBR co-founder and nine-time World Champion Ty Murray. “Those expectations have been exceeded immensely, and the fact that this sport continues to grow is a gratifying notion, one that supports all the hard work and dedication of every member of the PBR.”

The founders believed that bull riding deserved to be in the limelight and could succeed as a standalone sport. Each rider invested a hard-earned $1,000, some borrowing from family and friends, to start the PBR.

“This is the only sport in the world that I can take anyone to see, whether they know anything about it or not, and I guarantee you that they won’t be able to take their eyes off of it,” Murray said.

In 2007, Spire Capital Partners finalized a deal with PBR to acquire the interests of many of the retired founding riders and invest in the growth of the organization. Those first 20 bull riders had turned their $1,000 into millions.

In May 2015, PBR was acquired by Endeavor, a global leader in sports, entertainment and fashion.

More than 500 bull riders from around the world including the United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada and Mexico hold PBR memberships. They compete in more than 200 bull riding events each year on the nationally-televised Unleash The Beast series, Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour and Touring Pro Division, in addition to those held by international divisions in Australia, Brazil, Canada and Mexico.

For every rider, the ultimate goal is to qualify for the PBR World Finals, the richest bull riding event on the planet, with the season champion receiving the golden World Championship buckle and $1 million bonus.

The 20 original founders took a substantial gamble when pooling their limited resources to fund the grassroots operation. Yet, the risk has certainly paid off. Investors like Spire Capital Partners and Endeavor, and partnerships with Ford, Monster Energy, Wrangler, and the city of Las Vegas have helped the PBR annually award more than $10 million.

The success of PBR has made it one of the most prolific sports on television. The premier series is televised weekly on CBS Sports, CBS Sports Network and networks around the world. Several times in 2020, PBR was the second most-watched sport on television, trailing only the NFL. In 2019 PBR extended its broadcast relationship with the network inking an agreement ensuring CBS will remain PBR’s television home the next 10 years. Additionally, RidePass, the league’s 24/7 over-the-top (OTT) digital network launched in 2018 brings every moment of elite tour action to fans as well as the Velocity Tour, Global Cup and marquee rodeo events.

Collectively, PBR broadcasts reach 250MM households in more than 20 countries, and RidePass brings its growing subscriber base more than 150 rodeo and PBR events live and on-demand.

On social media, from January through November 2020, PBR generated more than 1.7 billion impressions on social media, 606 million video views and 629 million video minutes viewed. PBR’s channels are recognized to have among the most fan engagement of all major sports.