Joao Ricardo Vieira Reclaims World No. 1 Rank with Second PBR Unleash The Beast Event Victory of 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Following this weekend’s electric PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast event in Kansas City, Missouri, not only is there a new No. 1 ranked bull rider in the world, but the race to be crowned the 2022 PBR World Champion also reached a new level of ferocity.

Going a perfect 3-for-3 at the PBR Caterpillar Classic, presented by Union Home Mortgage, Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Brazil) won his second elite tour event of the year to reclaim the world No. 1 rank, while three additional riders ranked inside the Top 5 each delivered Top 10 finishes to remain in the intense hunt for the coveted gold buckle.

As action got underway in Round 1 Friday evening, Vieira was quick to put points on the board, covering Quick Wick (4G Ranch) for 87.75 points.

Advancing to Championship Saturday tied for seventh on the event leaderboard, the veteran contender surged to third when he bested Freddy (Ronnie Chism Farm & Ranch) for 89 points in Round 2.

Vieira then elected to go head-to-head with JAG Metals Grand Theft (D&H Cattle Co./Philip Elkins) in the championship round, a decision which proved dividends.

While the powerful animal athlete entered the showdown having bucked off the past three riders to attempt him, Vieira had previously witnessed his countryman Jose Vitor Leme (RIbas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) ride JAG Metals Grand Theft for 92 points at the February Unleash The Beast event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Replicating Leme’s success, Vieira matched the bull jump-for-jump en route to a monstrous 91-point score, leading the crowd to erupt in raucous cheer as his signature smile spread across his face.

Vieira’s golden finish earned him a check for $45,220.67 along with a crucial 134.5 world points.

While he traveled to the Show Me State ranked No. 3 in the world, Vieira catapulted back to the No. 1 rank, a position he held for six weeks earlier this season. He now leads No. 2 Daylon Swearingen (Piffard, New York) by 46.34 points.

Chasing history in 2022, should Vieira earn his first gold buckle at season’s end, he would become the oldest PBR World Champion in history. Currently 37, Vieira would surpass Adriano Moraes (Cachoeira Paulista, Brazil), who won his third title in 2006 at age 36. 

Looking down the leaderboard, fellow world Top 5 bull riders Swearingen, Kyler Oliver (Roy, Utah) and Leme also finished inside the Top 10 to further intensify the 2022 PBR World Championship slugfest.

Oliver led the contingent, tying for fourth to earn 62.5 world points.

In Round 1, Oliver was unmatched, delivering the top score when he rode Brutilizer (Guidry Land & Cattle, Inc./Dieckman Cattle Co.) for 90 points.

The young Utah native then remained atop the event standings when he made the requisite 8 atop Tijuana Two-Step (M Rafter E Bucking Bulls) for 87.25 points.

With the first pick in the championship round bull draft, Oliver was quick to select world No. 1 bull Ridin Solo (Cord McCoy/Bill McCarty), setting up a familiar showdown. Oliver had covered the striking animal athlete for 90.75 points last weekend in Glendale, Arizona, en route to a fourth-place finish.

Oliver’s momentum, however, came to an abrupt end as Ridin Solo brought him down in a quick 3.82 seconds.

The Top 5 effort earned Oliver 62.5 world points, as he gained one position in the world standings, rising from No. 4 to No. 3. He is now within 94 points of No. 1 Vieira.

Despite tying for seventh alongside Leme, Swearingen, who earned 22 world points, slipped to No. 2 in the standings as he seeks his first PBR World Championship in 2022.

The New York rider was shut out on Championship Saturday after riding Wired Kitty (Futrell/D&H Cattle Co.) for 89.5 points in Round 1. After Show Me Homie (Jo-Z Bucking Bulls/K-C/Spark-lin Acres) bested him in 2.13 seconds in Round 2, Swearingen was bested by Cliff Hanger (Cord McCoy/Pioneer Bulls) in 3.87 seconds in the championship round.

Two-time and defending PBR World Champion Leme also tied for seventh, netting 22 world points. The Top 10 finish allowed him to further his stronghold on the world No. 5 rank, now 197.5 points back of the top position.

Should Leme once again be crowned the PBR World Champion in 2022, the stoic Brazilian would become the first rider in history to claim the honor in three consecutive seasons and just the third three-time PBR World Champion.

Leme’s 1-for-3 effort was headlined by an 89.5-point ride earned aboard Dang, Dang (Davis Rodeo Ranch/Waller Bros) in Round 1.

2018 PBR World Champion Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil) inched one step closer to earning his second world title in Kansas City, as the only other rider to deliver a perfect 3-for-3 effort inside T-Mobile Center to finish second.

Pacheco advanced to the final round fourth in the event after riding Pacer (Southern Cross Bucking Bulls/Buban Bucking Bulls) for 85.5 points in Round 1 and Detroit Lean (Blake Sharp/Henry Wilson) for 87.25 points in Round 2.

In the championship round bull draft, Pacheco then selected a bull that had previously led him to great success – Chiseled (Flinn/D&H Cattle Co.). He had attempted the bull twice prior, both resulting in 90-point scores, including a monstrous 94-point effort during the April 2021 15/15 Bucking Battle in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

The “Ice Man,” kept his flawless record intact against Chiseled, this time scored 87.75 points to clinch the silver finish.

For his efforts, Pacheco earned a check for $19,291.67 and 89.5 world points. He rose eight positions in the world standings, climbing from No. 24 to No. 16. He is now within 427.5 points of the No. 1 rank.

Third was Eduardo Aparecido (Gouvelandia, Brazil), taking home a check for $14,849.67 and a much-needed 76.5 world points.

Aparecido was quick to rebound from his 4.57-second buckoff dealt to him in Round 1 by The People’s Champ (Cord McCoy/James/Dittman) when he rode Wreck It Ralph (Kanngiesser Cattle Co.) for 87.75 points in Round 2.

The mild-mannered Brazilian then punctuated his event with a 91-point ride atop Mike’s Motive (Blake Sharp/High Voltage Cattle/American Spirits/Koe Wetzel) in the championship round.

After briefly being cut from the premier series, Aparecido’s podium finish in Kansas City allowed him to solidify his position on tour. While he began the 12^th tour stop of the season ranked No. 21, Aparecido is now No. 14.

Rounding out the Top 5, tying for fourth, was Chase Dougherty (Decatur, Texas).

Dougherty earned 52.5 points compliments of his 89.5-point ride on John 14:6 (Davis Rodeo Ranch/KHC Bucking Bulls) in Round 1, and 87.75-point effort aboard Harold’s Genuine Risk (M Rafter E Bucking Bulls) in Round 2.

Dougherty rose three positions in the world standings from No. 16 to No. 13.

In the bull pen, ABBI (American Bucking Bull Inc.) Classic standouts Cool Whip (Julian/Staci Addison/D&H/Crooked W) and Brusta (Joe & Nina Webb/Julian/D&H Cattle Co.) tied for the YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Event honor, courtesy of matching 45.75-point scores.

Both bucking in Round 1, Cool Whip bucked off Sam Woodall (Heywood, Victoria, Australia) in 1.79 seconds, and Brusta bested Brandon Davis (Cabot, Arkansas) in 2.65 seconds.

Fans who were unable to attend the event can tune into the action from Championship Saturday when CBS Sports Network telecasts Round 2 and the championship round from the PBR Caterpillar Classic, presented by Union Home Mortgage, on Sunday, March 20 at 8 p.m. EDT.

PBR RidePass on Pluto TV 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.

The PBR Unleash The Beast will next travel to The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the PBR Ty Murray Invitational, presented by The Downs Racetrack and Casino. The event will be on Friday, March 25 at 7:45 p.m. MDT, Saturday, March 26 at 6:45 p.m. MDT, and Sunday, March 27 at 1:45 p.m. MDT.

Elsewhere in the PBR, the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour was in action in Wheeling, West Virginia, while internationally, the 2022 season for the PBR Australia Monster Energy Tour continued in Mildura, Victoria.

At the eighth PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour event in Wheeling, West Virginia, Paulo Ferreira Lima (Bezerros, Brazil) emerged the undeniable star of the 2022 edition of the PBR Wheeling Invitational, presented locally by Oglebay. Going a flawless 3-for-3, Lima won the expansion series event inside WesBanco Arena, cracking the Top 50 in the race for the 2022 PBR World Championship.

In Round 1, Lima was one of 12 riders to deliver a score, tying for third when he covered Kenny (Clark View Farms) for 86 points. The five-time PBR World Finals qualifier then surged to the top of the event leaderboard after tying for the Round 2 win courtesy of an 86.5-point score aboard Buckle Up (Mason Bucking Bulls).

As the last man to leave the chutes in the Mountain State, Lima clinched the golden finish with an 85-point ride on Church Bells (Team Alaska) in the championship round.

Marking his fifth career victory on the PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour, Lima netted a much-needed 41 world points. After traveling to the event ranked No. 73 in the race for the 2022 PBR World Championship, Lima surged 23 positions in the standings, now ranked No. 50.

The PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour next travels to Oakland, California on Saturday, March 26. Action for the PBR TicketSmarter Classic at Oracle Arena gets underway at 7:00 p.m. PDT.

In Australia, as PBR returned to the state of Victoria for the first time since March 2020, no rider was more dominant than Brumby Brandenburg (Clermont, Queensland, Australia) at the elite Monster Energy Tour’s Mildura Invitational. Going a perfect 2-for-2, Brandenburg earned his career-first PBR victory at Mildura Recreation Reserve – Brian Weightman Oval.

In Round 1, Brandenburg recorded the first qualified ride of his career when he made the 8 aboard Cash Money (Throsby & Russell Bucking Bulls) for 83.5 points.

Tied for second on the event leaderboard, Brandenburg readied to go head-to-head against Natural Hillbilly (Throsby & Russell Bucking Bulls) in Round 2. Brandenburg remained a picture of perfection, recording the high-marked ride of the tour stop and clinching the event win when he covered the striking animal athlete for 86.5 points.

For his efforts the Queensland contender earned a critical 75.5 national points. Unranked prior to the PBR Mildura Invitational, Brandenburg surged to No. 5, now just 117 points behind No. 1 Brady Fielder (Clermont, Queensland).

The 2022 PBR Australia season continues Saturday, March 26 in Newcastle, New South Wales, as the 2022 PBR Origin tournament gets underway. Action for the PBR Monster Energy Tour Origin I – Newcastle, will get underway at 7:00 p.m. AEDT at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre.

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 Caterpillar Classic, presented by Union Home Mortgage
T-Mobile Center – Kansas City, Missouri
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)

1. João Ricardo Vieira, 87.75-89-91-267.75-134.5 Points.

2. Kaique Pacheco, 85.5-87.25-87.75-260.50-89.5 Points.

3. Eduardo Aparecido, 0-87.75-91-178.75-76.5 Points.

4. Kyler Oliver, 90-87.25-0-177.25-62.5 Points.

(tie). Chase Dougherty, 89.5-87.75-0-177.25-52.5 Points.

6. Derek Kolbaba, 83.5-86.5-0-170.00-33 Points.

7. Daylon Swearingen, 89.5-0-0-89.50-22 Points.

(tie). Jose Vitor Leme, 89.5-0-0-89.50-22 Points.

(tie). Dener Barbosa, 0-89.5-0-89.50-33 Points.

10. Brady Oleson, 88.75-0-0-88.75-17 Points.

11. Marco Eguchi, 88.5-0-0-88.50-15 Points.

12. Matt Triplett, 87.75-0-0-87.75-12.5 Points.

13. Brady Fielder, 87.5-0-0-87.50-11 Points.

14. Mason Taylor, 87.25-0-0-87.25-10 Points.

15. Brennon Eldred, 86.75-0-0-86.75-9 Points.

16. Dalton Kasel, 0-86.25-0-86.25-12 Points.

17. Clayton Sellars, 0-85.25-0-85.25-10.5 Points.

(tie). Casey Coulter, 0-85.25-0-85.25-10.5 Points.

(tie). Conner Halverson, 85.25-0-0-85.25-8 Points.

20. Silvano Alves, 0-84.5-0-84.50-9 Points.

21. Dakota Louis, 83.75-0-0-83.75-8 Points.

22. Bob Mitchell, 83.5-0-0-83.50-8 Points.

23. Tye Chandler, 82-0-0-82.00-8 Points.

24. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 81-0-0-81.00-8 Points.

Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 0-0-0-0.00

Luciano De Castro, 0-0-0-0.00

Eli Vastbinder, 0-0-0-0.00

Austin Richardson, 0-0-0-0.00

Manoelito de Souza Junior, 0-0-0-0.00

Cody Teel, 0-0-0-0.00

Marcelo Procopio Pereira, 0-0-0-0.00

João Henrique Lucas, 0-0-0-0.00

Andrew Alvidrez, 0-0-0-0.00

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

Ramon de Lima, 0-0-0-0.00

Alex Cardozo, 0-0-0-0.00

Ezekiel Mitchell, 0-0-0-0.00

Brandon Davis, 0-0-0-0.00

Francisco Morales, 0-0-0-0.00

Sam Woodall, 0-0-0-0.00

PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour

PBR Wheeling Invitational, presented locally by Oglebay

WesBanco Arena – Wheeling, West Virginia

Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)

1. Paulo Ferreira Lima, 86-86.5-85-257.50-41 Points.

2. Lucas Divino, 84.5-84.5-87.5-256.50-26 Points.

3. Alex Marcilio, 88-0-89.5-177.50-22.5 Points.

4. Trace Brown  [1], 83-86.5-0-169.50-11.5 Points.

5. Patterson Starcher, 85-82-0-167.00-5 Points.

6. Cody McCandless, 82-84-0-166.00-4 Points.

7. Alisson De Souza, 70.5-83-0-153.50-3 Points.

8. Justin Ethridge, 88-0-0-88.00-5.5 Points.

9. Jake Morinec, 86-0-0-86.00-2.5 Points.

10. Kade Alberty, 0-85.5-0-85.50-3 Points.

11. Grayson Cole, 0-85-0-85.00-2 Points.

12. Dakota Eagleburger, 84.5-0-0-84.50-1 Points.

13. Michael Lane, 84-0-0-84.00

14. Quentin Vaught, 82.5-0-0-82.50

15. Ueberson Duarte, 0-81-0-81.00

Fernando Henrique Novais, 0-0-0-0.00

Venn Johns, 0-0-0-0.00

Trace Brown  [2], 0-0-0-0.00

Caden Bunch, 0-0-0-0.00

Colt Robinson, 0-0-0-0.00

Matt Allgood, 0-0-0-0.00

Marcus Mast, 0-0-0-0.00

Tylor Cabe, 0-0-0-0.00

Brandon Chambers, 0-0-0-0.00

Carlos Garcia, 0-0-0-0.00

Victor Soares, 0-0-0-0.00

Tristen Marshall, 0-0-0-0.00

Alex Jenks, 0-0-0-0.00

Kyle Jones, 0-0-0-0.00

Eli Byler, 0-0-0-0.00

Eduardo de Oliveira, 0-0-0-0.00

Josh Steele, 0-0-0-0.00

Keith Hall, 0-0-0-0.00

Devon Weaver, 0-0-0-0.00

Matt Oliver, 0-0-0-0.00

Buddy Asher, 0-0-0-0.00

Eder Barbosa, 0-0-0-0.00

Adrian Stackhouse, 0-0-0-0.00

Andrew Decker, 0-0-0-0.00

Perry Schrock, 0-0-0-0.00

Eric Spence, 0-0-0-0.00

Michael Phillips, 0-0-0-0.00

Christian Cox, 0-0-0-0.00

Ted Flora, 0-0-0-0.00

Jeremy Beley, 0-0-0-0.00

PBR Australia Monster Energy Tour
PBR Mildura Invitational
Mildura Recreation Reserve: Brian Weightman Oval – Mildura, Victoria
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Event Aggregate-National Points)
1. Brumby Brandenburg, 83.5-86.5-170.00-75.5 Points.
2. Qynn Andersen, 86-0-86.00-55 Points.
3. Will Purcell, 83.5-0-83.50-40.5 Points.
4. Kelsey Pavlou, 80-0-80.00-20 Points.
(tie). Michael Smith, 80-0-80.00-20 Points.
Lachlan Richardson, 0-0-0.00
Cody Heffernan, 0-0-0.00
Chris Wilson, 0-0-0.00
Trefor Sproule, 0-0-0.00
Braith Nock, 0-0-0.00
Caiden Sandilands, 0-0-0.00
Cody Fraser, 0-0-0.00
Jack Keats, 0-0-0.00
Thomas Hudson, 0-0-0.00
Will Watson, 0-0-0.00
Jono Couling, 0-0-0.00
Darcy McBean, 0-0-0.00
Oscar Leake, 0-0-0.00
Toby Leake, 0-0-0.00
Ben Moran, 0-0-0.00

2022 PBR World Standings

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

1. João Ricardo Vieira, 17, 4, 6, 650.50, $169,761.45

2. Daylon Swearingen, 19, 5, 8, 604.16, $232,215.55

3. Kyler Oliver, 17, 2, 5, 556.50, $130,770.95

4. Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 18, 2, 5, 549.50, $135,451.55

5. Jose Vitor Leme, 11, 2, 5, 453.00, $110,973.33

6. Luciano De Castro, 14, 2, 6, 396.00, $66,041.90

7. Stetson Lawrence, 15, 1, 4, 386.00, $89,743.00

8. Dener Barbosa, 16, 0, 4, 333.00, $69,891.17

9. Eli Vastbinder, 14, 0, 4, 329.50, $38,854.67

10. Dalton Kasel, 16, 0, 3, 276.00, $93,690.00

11. Austin Richardson, 10, 1, 2, 254.00, $59,760.00

12. Mason Taylor, 16, 1, 1, 243.50, $106,103.83

13. Chase Dougherty, 15, 0, 2, 232.50, $71,279.17

14. Eduardo Aparecido, 11, 1, 4, 228.50, $43,421.17

15. Manoelito de Souza Junior, 13, 1, 4, 225.00, $39,992.63

16. Kaique Pacheco, 10, 0, 3, 223.00, $54,786.00

16. Derek Kolbaba, 11, 0, 2, 223.00, $39,750.50

18. Bob Mitchell, 16, 0, 5, 210.50, $30,453.78

19. Cody Teel, 15, 0, 1, 170.00, $27,649.66

20. Marco Eguchi, 11, 0, 1, 168.50, $34,459.00

21. Marcelo Procopio Pereira, 15, 1, 1, 167.50, $46,395.17

22. Rafael Henrique dos Santos, 10, 0, 1, 165.00, $23,222.67

23. Brady Oleson, 10, 1, 2, 142.50, $22,845.38

24. João Henrique Lucas, 14, 1, 2, 139.00, $16,460.50

25. Andrew Alvidrez, 14, 0, 1, 134.00, $18,205.00

26. Claudio Montanha Jr., 14, 0, 1, 125.16, $11,624.50

27. Clayton Sellars, 15, 0, 4, 119.75, $21,426.72

28. Matt Triplett, 10, 1, 4, 119.00, $20,915.57

29. Ramon de Lima, 12, 1, 3, 116.00, $15,575.81

30. Cole Melancon, 6, 0, 1, 114.16, $18,462.00

31. Alex Cardozo, 11, 0, 1, 112.00, $20,698.71

32. Cannon Cravens, 7, 0, 0, 109.00, $17,346.00

33. Chase Outlaw, 5, 0, 2, 108.50, $15,811.00

34. Brady Fielder, 10, 2, 5, 107.00, $24,241.08

35. Brennon Eldred, 7, 0, 1, 103.00, $11,016.67

36. Silvano Alves, 14, 0, 0, 101.50, $19,740.83

37. Casey Coulter, 12, 1, 4, 98.00, $16,414.51

38. Dakota Louis, 15, 1, 2, 95.75, $19,081.59

39. Cooper Davis, 4, 0, 0, 95.00, $11,546.00

40. Lane Nobles, 10, 1, 2, 89.50, $24,704.48

41. Ezekiel Mitchell, 12, 0, 1, 88.50, $10,934.98

42. Boudreaux Campbell, 8, 1, 1, 80.50, $13,470.98

43. Brandon Davis, 9, 1, 3, 78.50, $16,667.10

44. Francisco Morales, 11, 1, 2, 78.33, $21,908.00

45. Conner Halverson, 14, 0, 3, 78.00, $10,885.51

Provided Courtesy of PBR to Tenn Texas Media