Kaique Pacheco wins PBR’s Bullnanza inside Lazy E Arena

GUTHRIE, Okla. – The world’s No.1 bull rider who had looked invincible finally faltered in Guthrie, and a World Champion stepped up to win significant points and tighten the PBR title race.

As the revival of the iconic PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Bullnanza, part of the elite Unleash The Beast, wound to a close today, perennial contender Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil) iced the competition to win his first elite tour event in 2020, gaining significant ground in the world standings and on No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil).

After 2018 PBR World Champion Pacheco bucked off @PBR on TikTok (Paradigm Bull Company) in Round 1 Friday evening, he needed to cover on Championship Saturday to keep his chances alive for ascending to the top of the Can-Am cage at event’s end. 

“The Ice Man” converted under pressure with the second best score of Round 2, dominating Midnight Ride (Cord McCoy/Pioneer Bulls) for 88 points.

Earning the fifth pick in the championship round bull draft, Pacheco selected 2018 ABBI (American Bucking Bull Inc.) Classic Champion Hocus Pocus (D&H Cattle/Almand/Lone Star/Outlaw).

A powerful bovine athlete known for swift buckoffs, Hocus Pocus entered the showdown having been ridden just twice in his 26 career outs across all levels of competition, including an active 10-out buckoff streak on the PBR’s premier series.

However, despite the bull’s prowess of downing the world’s best cowboys, Pacheco proved to have the solution to Hocus Pocus’ magical ways.

Matching the D&H Cattle Co. bull jump for jump, Pacheco reached the 8 second whistle, leading the crowd inside Lazy E Arena to erupt in raucous cheers as the speakers boomed to announce his 89.25-point score.

While four cowboys still remained in the round, Pacheco’s 2-for-3 showing was enough to outlast their gritty efforts, propelling him to his first Unleash The Beast event win of the 2020 season, and first on the premier series since October 2018.

The 25-year-old left Lazy E Arena $30,779.69 richer, having also earned a critical 100 world points.

Pacheco is now ranked No. 5 in the world, rising two positions in the standings, and gained significant ground on world No. 1 Leme, who was shutout at the PBR Bullnanza.

Pacheco now trails Leme by 383 points, after beginning the tour stop 483 points behind.

Cody Teel (College Station, Texas) renewed his rivalry with Milk Man (TNT Bucking Bulls/Hart Cattle Co.) en route to a runner-up finish, garnering $14,521.31 and 68 world points.

Much like Pacheco, Teel entered Round 2 having yet to record a qualified ride.

Turning the tides, the Texan covered Hell on The Red (Jane Clark/Gene Owen) for 87.75 points to punch his ticket to his sixth championship round of the season.

In a match-up that has been seen five times in the past 16 months, Teel selected Canadian born Milk Man.

First meeting in April 2019 on the elite tour in Columbus, Ohio, the two teamed for an 89.25-point score.

While their next meeting resulted in a re-ride, the subsequent three showdowns all concluded in similar fashion – Teel celebrating as massive scores flashed on the scoreboards. Most recently, the two accomplished athletes squared off in the championship round of the final closed event held inside Lazy E Arena in mid-May. The result, a 90-point score, Teel’s first of the season.  

Teel was poised in the chutes, and would once again remain in step with Milk Man, reaching the requisite 8 for 88.75 points.

Teel is now ranked No. 16 in the world, gaining eight positions after entering the event No. 24. He is now within 616.75 of No. 1 Leme.

Third was young gun Ezekiel Mitchell (Rockdale, Texas), who for the second consecutive week recorded a 90-point ride in the championship round.

Delivering a perfect 2-for-2 performance on Saturday afternoon, Mitchell began the final day of PBR Bullnanza action with an 85.75-point ride aboard Cinnamon Kat (Payson Parker/D&H Cattle Co.).

Mitchell then initially selected Marquis Metal Works Bill The Butcher (Paradigm Bull Co./Marquis Metal Works) in the championship round, however, earned a re-ride keeping his hopes of victory alive.

As his new opponent Zorro (Jane Clark/Gene Owen) was loaded into the chutes, the charismatic 22-year old appeared as focused as ever, eager to log his second qualified ride.

Mitchell converted in monstrous fashion, dominating the Gene Owen bovine athlete for 90.25 points, the high-marked ride of the event, and his second consecutive 90-point effort in an elite tour event’s final round.

Last weekend in Bismarck, North Dakota, Mitchell reached an important career milestone when he recorded the first 90-point ride of his Unleash The Beast career, a 90-point score aboard Goodnight Robicheaux (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve/Diamond Willow).

Mitchell’s seventh Top-10 finish of the 2020 season netted him $11,376.62 and 59.5 world points, propelling him from No. 19 to No. 14 in the world. The Texan now trails the No. 1 spot by 605 points.

Fourth was Paulo Lima (Bezerros, Brazil).

As one of only two riders to cover his first two draws, Lima entered the championship round atop the leaderboard having covered Shaken (Owens/Wyatt/Smith) for 87.25 points and XO (D&H Cattle Co./KB Bulls) for 86.5 points.

Lima’s hopes of victory, however, were dashed when he bucked off three-time PBR World Champion Bull SweetPro’s Bruiser (D&H Cattle Co./Buck Cattle Co.) in 5.32 seconds in the final round.

He concluded the event earning a $7,124.09 payday, in addition to 36 world points.

After beginning the event No. 52 in the world, Lima’s Top-5 finish allowed him to nearly crack the Top 35 and earn a more permanent position on the premier series.

The 32-year-old is now No. 38 in the world, within a slim 2.16 points of the threshold.

Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Brazil) and Mason Taylor (Maypearl, Texas) rounded out the Top 5, tying for fifth.

Each going 1-for-3 to collect 29 world points, Vieira won Round 1 with an 88.75-point score aboard Marquis Metal Works Draggin Up (Paradigm Bull Co./Marquis Metal Works), while Taylor topped Round 2 with a matching score on Black Cadillac (Gene Owen/David Perry).

Vieira earned $6,128.84, while Taylor collected $6,015.77.

With his finish, Vieira surpassed two-time World Champion Jess Lockwood (Volborg, Montana) in the world rankings, now No. 2 and within 203.25 points of No. 1 Leme.

Taylor rose two positions, climbing from No. 17 to No. 15, within 613.75 points of Leme.

In the bullpen, Chiseled (FLinn/D&H Cattle Co.) delivered a massive 46.25-point score courtesy of his 7.27-second buckoff of Taylor in the championship round, en route to his third YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Event honors of 2020.

Entering the event No. 3 in the world, Chiseled is now tied with reigning World Champion Bull Smooth Operator (Dakota Rodeo/Julie Rosen/Clay Struve/Chad Berger) for the No. 1 spot in the world. Each bull currently holds a 45.75-point season average.

Fans can relive all the action from the PBR Unleash The Beast’s Bullnanza on Sunday, August 16 at 8:00 a.m. EST on RidePass, at RidePass.com or via the RidePass app available on iOS, Android and Roku.

CBS Sports Network will broadcast all the action from Championship Saturday of the PBR Bullnanza, with coverage of Round 2 and the championship round, on Sunday, August 16 at 6:00 p.m. ET.

The elite PBR Unleash The Beast will next travel to Salt Lake City, Utah, and Days of ‘47 Arena for the PBR TicketSmarter Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires. The event will be on Friday, August 21 at 7:45 p.m. MDT, and Saturday, August 22 at 6:45 p.m. MDT.

PBR Unleash The Beast
PBR Bullnanza
Lazy E Arena – Guthrie, Oklahoma
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)

1. Kaique Pacheco, 0-88-89.25-177.25-100 Points.

2. Cody Teel, 0-87.75-88.75-176.50-68 Points.

3. Ezekiel Mitchell, 0-85.75-90.25-176.00-59.5 Points.

4. Paulo Lima, 87.25-86.5-0-173.75-36 Points.

5. João Ricardo Vieira, 88.75-0-0-88.75-29 Points.

(tie). Mason Taylor, 0-88.75-0-88.75-29 Points.

7. Boudreaux Campbell, 85.25-85.75-0-171.00-27.5 Points.

8. J.B. Mauney, 0-87.25-0-87.25-13 Points.

9. Cooper Davis, 86.5-0-0-86.50-10 Points.

10. Matt Triplett, 0-86.75-0-86.75-9.5 Points.

(tie). Alex Cerqueira, 0-86.75-0-86.75-9.5 Points.

12. Dakota Louis, 86-0-0-86.00-8 Points.

13. Amadeu Campos Silva, 84.5-0-0-84.50-6 Points.

14. Lucas Divino, 0-85.5-0-85.50-1.5 Points.

(tie). Cody Nance, 0-85.5-0-85.50-1.5 Points.

Jose Vitor Leme, 0-0-0-0.00

Daylon Swearingen, 0-0-0-0.00

Cole Melancon, 0-0-0-0.00

Mauricio Moreira, 0-0-0-0.00

Marco Eguchi, 0-0-0-0.00

Joao Lucas, 0-0-0-0.00

Derek Kolbaba, 0-0-0-0.00

Ryan Dirteater, 0-0-0-0.00

Andrew Alvidrez, 0-0-0-0.00

Silvano Alves, 0-0-0-0.00

Taylor Toves, 0-0-0-0.00

Brennon Eldred, 0-0-0-0.00

Rafael Henrique dos Santos, 0-0-0-0.00

Cody Casper, 0-0-0-0.00

Marcus Mast, 0-0-0-0.00

Jake Lockwood, 0-0-0-0.00

Cannon Cravens, 0-0-0-0.00

Keith Hall, 0-0-0-0.00

Junio Patrik Souza, 0-0-0-0.00

Grayson Cole, 0-0-0-0.00

2020 PBR World Standings
(Place, Rider, Events, Wins, Top 5’s, Points, Total Winnings)

1. Jose Vitor Leme, 32, 12, 20, 827.50, $337,327.48

2. João Ricardo Vieira, 18, 2, 8, 624.25, $210,055.98

3. Jess Lockwood, 14, 1, 9, 543.50, $210,144.99

4. Colten Jesse, 34, 4, 12, 469.00, $122,236.71

5. Kaique Pacheco, 19, 1, 6, 444.50, $112,884.63

6. Daylon Swearingen, 31, 4, 10, 436.16, $207,643.97

7. Lucas Divino, 22, 2, 8, 384.50, $112,683.71

8. Dener Barbosa, 15, 2, 7, 323.41, $81,057.49

9. Cole Melancon, 26, 2, 6, 282.50, $211,108.10

10. Fabiano Vieira, 23, 3, 6, 258.50, $48,203.97

11. Eduardo Aparecido, 17, 0, 3, 243.50, $61,376.52

12. Ramon de Lima, 13, 1, 2, 241.16, $83,662.79

13. Matt Triplett, 29, 3, 8, 227.50, $119,681.38

14. Ezekiel Mitchell, 26, 1, 5, 222.50, $58,322.74

15. Mason Taylor, 26, 2, 6, 213.75, $44,705.36

16. Cody Teel, 14, 0, 3, 210.75, $101,062.98

17. Mauricio Moreira, 26, 4, 11, 202.33, $52,908.78

18. Marco Eguchi, 21, 3, 10, 194.25, $65,093.64

19. Claudio Montanha Jr., 15, 0, 3, 185.00, $46,522.84

20. Stetson Lawrence, 24, 1, 7, 171.00, $61,997.50

21. Cooper Davis, 15, 2, 11, 159.00, $56,057.78

22. Joao Lucas, 24, 1, 4, 150.91, $30,689.26

23. Aaron Kleier, 19, 1, 6, 146.83, $38,682.12

24. Derek Kolbaba, 29, 2, 6, 144.50, $28,432.08

25. Alex Cerqueira, 18, 1, 4, 143.00, $30,860.16

26. Dakota Buttar, 12, 3, 7, 124.50, $33,427.99

27. Tye Chandler, 10, 1, 3, 123.33, $29,556.67

28. Ryan Dirteater, 12, 0, 6, 120.00, $56,261.41

29. Lachlan Richardson, 7, 2, 3, 104.00, $45,405.11

30. Andrew Alvidrez, 25, 2, 6, 103.50, $34,844.35

31. Amadeu Campos Silva, 26, 0, 4, 101.66, $28,777.09

32. Silvano Alves, 28, 0, 4, 98.00, $22,771.07

33. Taylor Toves, 18, 1, 2, 96.50, $38,187.46

34. Brennon Eldred, 21, 0, 2, 96.00, $29,195.32

35. Brock Radford, 20, 2, 8, 84.66, $28,774.17

36. Rafael Henrique dos Santos, 17, 1, 6, 84.00, $24,875.53

37. Cody Casper, 32, 1, 3, 83.00, $21,668.93

38. Paulo Lima, 19, 1, 6, 82.50, $24,843.90

39. Dakota Louis, 32, 1, 7, 78.00, $41,109.01

40. Bruno Scaranello, 8, 1, 2, 76.99, $14,616.67

41. Marcus Mast, 30, 0, 5, 75.66, $29,597.13

42. Bradley Brittain, 11, 1, 2, 75.00, $13,270.00

43. Jake Lockwood, 20, 1, 1, 74.66, $22,123.48

44. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 16, 3, 7, 73.50, $52,988.96

45. Cody Campbell, 14, 1, 2, 72.00, $16,030.00