PUEBLO, Colo. (April 24, 2024) – The highly anticipated showdown between UFC legend Cowboy Cerrone and Dana White’s Twisted Steel scheduled for May 18 has been cancelled following an injury suffered by Cerrone on a bull during a recent training session.
Attempting to ride a practice bull, Cerrone tore the bicep in his riding arm.
“My arm was hurt pretty bad – a 100% bicep tear off the bone,” Cerrone said. “Guess you mess with the bull you sometimes get the horns. This is not the end. I will rehab and get back after it. I still want my shot at Twisted Steel.”
“I thought this was a bad idea for Cowboy from the start,” said Dana White. “Twisted Steel is the nastiest bull in the PBR. He’s bucked 90% of his riders. Let’s leave it to the pros at the PBR World Finals in Arlington.”
“Even the world’s best riders suffer injuries; it’s not if, but when and how bad,” said Sean Gleason, CEO and Commissioner, PBR. “Cowboy had an uphill battle even against the bulls in the practice pen. But we have great respect for how seriously he took the challenge, and maybe we’ll get him on one when he heals up. It just won’t be Twisted Steel!”
To train and prepare for his matchup with Twisted Steel on Saturday, May 18 in Arlington, Texas, at AT&T Stadium during the first night of competition for the 2024 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast – Championship, Cerrone had been getting on practice bulls beginning in February under the tutelage of experienced bull riders including two-time World Champion J.B. Mauney, head coach of the Oklahoma Wildcatters and Ross Coleman, head coach of the Missouri Thunder in the PBR Teams league.
Cerrone was to receive $50,000 from White for attempting to ride the six-year-old bull, whose record is 35-4, and another $50,000 if he successfully stayed on 8 seconds for a qualified ride, a sum Cerrone said would be donated to his summer camp for youth.
Bull riding is known as one of the world’s most dangerous sports. Cerrone, regarded as an athlete who took on any fight offered over a 38-bout 11-year UFC career, found that out in training for his showdown with Twisted Steel.
About PBR (Professional Bull Riders):
PBR is the world’s premier bull riding organization. More than 800 bull riders compete in more than 200 events annually across the televised PBR Unleash The Beast tour (UTB), which features the top bull riders in the world; the PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour (PWVT); the PBR Touring Pro Division (TPD); and the PBR’s international circuits in Australia, Brazil, and Canada. In 2022, PBR launched the PBR Team Series with 10 teams of the world’s best bull riders competing for a new championship as well as the PBR Challenger Series with more than 60 annual events nationwide. The organization’s digital assets include PBR RidePass on Pluto TV, which is home to Western sports. PBR is a subsidiary of Endeavor, a global sports and entertainment company. For more information, visit PBR.com, or follow on Facebook at Facebook.com/PBR, Twitter at Twitter.com/PBR, and YouTube at YouTube.com/PBR.
