two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme still has designs on a third gold buckle in his comeback from a broken hand Texas – With the 2025 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast – Eliminations just eight days away all eyes are on the world title race centering on No But those top riders may end up feeling some pressure from well outside the Top 10 Two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme sits at No and he’s not content to just write his season off After being sidelined for all of February and March with a broken hand I had some struggles trying to ride with the hand hurting Now I’m able to squeeze and hold a little bit more in my rope I just want to try and get as many points that I can because I was out for so long and I lost too many opportunities to be in the Top 5 in early April and has been on a tear all month he’s since rattled off three Top-10 finishes in four events he’s earned 206.5 points towards the standings in his last four events allowing him to climb 13 spots in the Unleash The Beast standings In addition to his two World Championships (2020-21 when he doctored out of the World Finals with a rib injury soil – the Velocity Tour Finals and the World Finals – to reach the Top 10 and win Rookie of the Year The only time Leme has ever finished outside the Top 10 in the standings was 2024 when he competed in just six events before sitting out the rest of the season due to injury only once has Leme finished outside the Top 10 of the world That’s a stat that’s honestly hard to compute but it’s a testament to the otherworldly talent Leme exhibits when healthy This will be the first time since 2017 that Leme enters the World Finals outside the title race and with something to prove He won the World Finals event title that year the rest of the locker room should be concerned than the other years that I was in the Top 5 or Top 10 just keep doing what you’re doing.’ But right now I still think that I can do something different I still think that I can win the Finals and change the whole game A Leme more motivated than he was to win his two world titles considering he’s already one of the best in history when it comes to World Finals Leme is a career 29-for-43 (67%) with two World Finals event titles Also of note: he won his first World Finals event title in 2017 Can he win another one after another four years “That means that I finish in the top riders in the world I want to be in Arlington at AT&T with real chances to win and real chances to get the whole thing and make history again.” only the Top 15 in the standings at the end of Eliminations on May 8-11 advance directly to the Championship on May 17-18 in AT&T Stadium in Arlington If Leme is unable to climb into the Top 15 he’ll compete in Ride For Redemption on May 14-15 from which the Top 5 riders in the aggregate will advance to the Championship to complete the 20-man field Leme has never battled through the new Finals format before so only time will tell if his prior successes translate in this new era He’ll need a Herculean effort to win gold buckle No but with more than a thousand points up for grabs “I have to do a miracle to win this world title,” Leme said with a laugh I’m trying my best to finish because I really believe that everything can be changed in the Finals because there are so many points in there so I’ve just got to do my job and finish strong.” 8 seconds is all it takes to become a legend Lee la versión en Español. José Vitor Leme is a rock star it will check another box on an already stellar career Leme’s Gamblers career was nearly a foregone conclusion The Camping World PBR team series was a brand-new concept in 2022 and the Gamblers — beginning their first season in a fledgling league — were just one of many teams that would have killed to land the Brazilian superstar Gamblers CEO JJ Gottsch can still recall how it all fell into place “My first day as CEO and GM was in late February of 2022 and the draft lottery had already taken place and the Gamblers were going to have the first pick," Gottsch said "I had zero knowledge of the bull riders in the PBR but it was made clear to me from the very beginning that José was a once-in-a-generation talent "There was never a doubt that we were going to select him first overall The only doubt was if he was going to make it to the draft as he was hospitalized after Round 6 of the World Finals — two days before the draft He got bucked off a bull and got stepped on fracturing six ribs with a partially collapsed lung He checked himself out of the hospital early and came to the draft.” the only other potential obstacle to Leme becoming a Gambler was whether he wanted to take his focus away from a lucrative career as a solo rider was the reigning PBR world champion and had shattered multiple records setting new marks for most 90-point rides in a season (24) most rounds won in a season (21) and most Premier Series event wins in a season (tied with eight) Leme also had scored the highest-marked PBR ride of all time (98.75 points) and he'd recorded the first 50-point rider score in PBR history When you're at the top of the bull riding world I was a little bit nervous about which team was going to pick me because I was injured at that point so I wasn’t sure if anyone was going to take me I was so happy because it was the team that I wanted to be on," Leme said this week ahead of the Gamblers' three-day Gambler Days event at Moody Center "I was very excited about the teams format because I grew up in a team sport so I was very excited to have teammates again like I had when I was kid." Leme — born José Vitor Leme Batista in Ribas do Rio Pardo Mato Grosso in 1996 — was already riding calves by the time he was 7 years old He was talented enough to play semi-professionally and credits the skills learned in the sport with helping him as a bull rider “You’ve got to be fast in your movements,” Leme said A career as a bull rider always remained his No he finally got the chance he was looking for The event was an invitation-only competition in Rochedo Leme had to ride his bike nearly 6 miles to get there he was called for a slap (when a rider's free arm touches the bull during the ride) Leme’s career accomplishments in Brazil were as prolific as anything he has achieved since moving to the United States in 2021 In 2017 he was named PBR Brazil rookie of the year as well as the 2017 PBR Brazil champion He was the 2017 PBR world rookie of the year and the PBR World Finals Events Champion he regularly receives the loudest cheers from fans and his jersey is always the team's top seller finds ways to continually challenge himself as a bull rider I’m not thinking about leaving the sport and I don’t like to think much about the future just about the moment and try to do as much as I can now," he said be a good rider that the young kids want to look up to.” What: Austin Gamblers Professional Bull Riders event This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page New York Mavericks win first-ever Monster Energy Team Challenge defeating the Florida Freedom 173.25-80 Friday night inside Madison Square Garden NEW YORK CITY – In front of a sold-out Friday night crowd in New York City two-time PBR (Professional Bull Riders) World Champion Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo winning Round 1 of the Unleash The Beast’s PBR Monster Energy Buck Off at The Garden who rides for the Austin Gamblers in the separate PBR Teams league and previously won inside Madison Square Garden in 2023 was a near picture of perfection atop Roc Wit It (K-C Bucking Bulls/JoZ Bucking Bulls) Dominating the bovine athlete for an unrivaled 89.75 points Leme garnered 28 points in the race for the 2025 PBR World Championship and accompanying $1 million bonus Chasing his record-tying third gold buckle this May Leme will take on Black Squirrel (Dave Martin/Mike Miller Bucking Bulls) in Round 2 The opening night of the three-day event in the Big Apple also featured the debut of the Monster Energy Team Challenge an extension of the PBR Teams league that brings head-to-head team bull riding games to the sport’s elite individual tour The Empire State’s own New York Mavericks rode to victory The Mavericks were led by Mason Taylor (Maypearl who recorded a solid 88.5-point ride aboard Tulsa Time (Kelly & Cami Heath/McCoy Rodeo) In addition to helping cement the game win for his team the score also led Taylor to finish second in Round 1 of the Unleash The Beast event He will next attempt Gaucho (Barrett/Barnes Rodeo) as competition continues with Round 2 of the PBR Monster Energy Buck Off at The Garden on Saturday “This is such a great venue; these are the best fans in the world,” Taylor said “To represent the New York Mavericks makes it that much better marked 84.75 points on Mahan (Jane Clark/Gene Owen) The two scores overpowered just one score by the Florida Freedom contributed by Alex Cerqueira (Iguatemi who topped Blue Suede Shoes (Crescent City Bucking Bulls/Lari Crane/Gene Owen) for 80 points Returning to the top of the event leaderboard the Austin Gamblers’ Dener Barbosa (Paulo de Faria Brazil) and Oklahoma Wildcatters’ Clay Guiton (Cherryville each delivering matching 88-point rides to net 16.5 Unleash The Beast points Barbosa conquered Dark Thoughts (Blake Sharp/Henry Wilson) and Guiton outlasted Ridin’ Salty (Drink LMNT/McCoy Rodeo) who drew Bad Intentions (K-C Bucking Bulls) in Round 2 who next faces Dan-O (D4 Redline Pro Rodeo) Rounding out the Top 5 in Round 1 was the Texas Rattlers’ Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga Viera made the requisite 8 on Wild Card (Blake Sharp/UB Bucking Company) for 87.25 points Action for the 2025 PBR Monster Energy Buck Off at The Garden, presented by Ariat, continues with Round 2 on Saturday, Jan. 4. Action gets underway at 7:45 p.m. ET. Tickets are still available and can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com All three nights of competition in New York City will be available LIVE and FREE on PBR’s X account (https://x.com/PBR), RidePass on Pluto TV, PBR’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@pbr), PBR’s mobile app (https://qrco.de/bdtdKp) The stream for PBR New York City continues Saturday PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer re-airs and on-demand replays of PBR Unleash The Beast events and is available on desktops, laptops and mobile devices via www.pluto.tv PBR Unleash The BeastPBR Monster Energy Buckoff at The Garden presented by AriatMadison Square Garden – New York City New YorkEvent Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Round 4-Event Aggregate-Event Points) and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" With the 2025 PBR World Finals a mere month away will the two-time World Champion give it a go in Sioux Falls Texas – When you’re a two-time World Champion it can be hard to travel with the ever-shuffling Unleash The Beast tour during each and every stop as it parades the world’s top bull riders around the country. Yet Jose Vitor Leme has seemed to make it work for several seasons now reminding fans he’s earned the nickname of “Champ” for good reason.The only thing harder than pulling off the “go go” schedule was sitting at home watching his co-workers keep the show going while he healed up this season. The exact scenario the Brazilian is looking to put in the rearview mirror this weekend. Having spent a good couple months away from the circuit this season as he recovered from a hand surgery sustained back in January it just hasn’t been the same without the high-flying act Leme would need to get on a Kasel-like streak in order to mathematically make a run at a Top 10 spot before the postseason But if he can wiggle his way into striking distance ahead of the Eliminations sessions inside Cowtown Coliseum May 8-11, there’s a chance he won’t need to mess around with the Ride For Redemption stage. At the same time if that’s the path “Champ” has to endure in order for a shot to finish a run inside AT&T Stadium said run could begin as soon as Friday night!  Knowing he's 12-for-19 all-time in Sioux Falls suggests he'd be hard-pressed to skip out.  The stream for PBR Sioux Falls begins Friday CBS Television Network will broadcast the PBR Monster Energy Team Challenge featuring the Nashville Stampede and Carolina Cowboys Sunday  Fans can keep an eye on PBR.com and @PBR social media channels for the latest news wrecks and more! Photo courtesy of Josh Homer/Bull Stock Media The Austin Gamblers salvaged what could easily have been a lost weekend by defeating the Missouri Thunder 177.75-0 Sunday to close Gambler Days weekend at Moody Center The Gamblers received qualified rides from “Lucky” Lucas Divino (89.25 points aboard Mike’s Motive) and closer Jose Vitor Leme (88.5 points atop Hoka Hey) on their way to a shutout of the Thunder (6-8) The win helped the Gamblers (7-7) go 1-2 on the annual home stand Divino was the second rider up for Austin after leadoff Kaique Pacheco failed to make eight seconds on Black Gold “Lucky” Lucas had proved unlucky a night earlier when he turned in a seemingly qualified ride that was overturned for a freehand slap of the bull just a fraction of a second before the clock sounded FROM SATURDAY: Texas Rattlers had 'extra motivation' in win over Austin Gamblers following Oleson's fall Divino was trying to stop a run of 11 straight Gambler rides without scores Divino was picture-perfect and gave the Gamblers a lead they would not relinquish They would need it as Dalton Kasel failed to last for eight seconds atop Mercy (4.08) and Ramon De Lima could not cover Big Chili (4.60) Leme added icing on the cake when he covered Hoka Hey to finish It was a workmanlike performance from the Gambler riders who covered two of their five bulls and managed to stop a four-game losing streak in the process They got more good news when they learned that the win moved them into a tie for third place with the Nashville Stampede FROM FRIDAY: Austin defeated in close match; rider lands on head in scary fall “This was a really important win,” said Gambler rider Callum Miller We just have to keep plugging away and working our way toward the finals The first-place Carolina Cowboys suffered their first loss of the season Saturday night to the Kansas City Outlaws and the recipient of that rage was the New York Mavericks (6-8) The upstart expansion squad had already defeated the Gamblers on Friday and followed that up with a win over the Oklahoma Wildcatters on Saturday But the Cowboys (11-1-1) made quick work of the Mavericks by going a perfect 5-for-5 in rides during their match the second time they have done so this season Carolina scored a whopping 428.25 points against New York which finished the game with one qualified ride by Mauricio Moreira Carolina got scores from leadoff rider Cooper Davis (78.5 points aboard Skippy) Daylon Swearingen (84.25 points atop Barbarosa) and Dawson Branton (88.0 on Whiplash) after closer Sage Steele Kimzey was awarded a re-ride While there are still plenty of games left to be played Carolina is putting together perhaps the best season in the three-year history of the PBR Team Series the defending champion Texas Rattlers proved that despite struggling for much of this schedule they are still a force to be reckoned with The Rattlers came from behind to defeat the Oklahoma Wildcatters 258.75-177.25 Eduardo Matos got things started off well for the Wildcatters The Rattlers seemed to be in dire straits after Oklahoma’s second rider appeared to make the eight atop Air Marshall and it was determined that Hitt was off at 7.90 seconds RELATED: Austin Gamblers ride international star Jose Vitor Leme to PBR successes Daniel Keeping of Montague put the Rattlers on the board Teammate Mason Taylor gave the Rattlers the lead with 88.5 points aboard Smooth Criminal But Oklahoma’s Josh Frost answered with an 88.25-point ride to give the Wildcatters a 177.25-174.5 lead heading into the closing round former Austin Gambler Cort McFadden was quickly tossed off Top Dollar (2.84 seconds) leaving an opening for Rattlers closer Claudio Montanha Jr to steal the victory with a qualified ride turning in an 84.25-point ride atop Lap Dancer The victory was the second in a row for the Rattlers (6-8) the Florida Freedom (6-7) continued to make life miserable for the Arizona Ridge Riders (4-9) in a 231-89.25 win The Freedom got qualified rides from leadoff Alex Cerqueira (87.75 points atop The Kraken) and No 4 rider Joao Lucas Campos (88.25 points aboard Let’s Roll) The Ridge Riders kept their hopes alive when No 4 rider Keyshawn Whitehorse made the eight riding Constant Payne and scored 89.25 points in one of the top efforts of the day But 19-year-old Florida phenom John Crimber of Decatur ended the drama with a 55-point qualified ride aboard Dirty Hairy Deeds The low score was attributable to a less than spirited effort from the bull leaving the Freedom with the option for a re-ride Since the minimal score clinched the victory But the decision kept Crimber (842.75 points) in second place behind Jose Vitor Leme (963 points) in the race for league MVP 2 ranked Dalton Kasel closes in on world leader John Crimber. – Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo hampered by injury in the 2023-24 PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast season made a huge statement on Sunday afternoon about his renewed title intentions in going 3-for-3 3 in the race for the 2025 PBR World Championship One month after leading the Austin Gamblers to the 2024 PBR Teams Championship title in Las Vegas Leme was back in World Champion form on the individual tour as PBR returned to Ontario After going 0-for-2 in the season opener in Tucson who came into the season’s second event scoreless knew he had to reverse course at the two-day event in Ontario Heading into Sunday tied for fifth place with rookie Anderson de Oliveira (Novo Mundo after an 87.5-point ride on Saturday night aboard I’m Him in front of a sold-out crowd Picking up right where he left off in early 2024 before stepping aside from the 2024 UTB world title race due to injury the two-time World Champion exploded from the chutes Sunday afternoon aboard HomeBru in Round 2 clinched the round win and set him up for a top pick in the Championship Round  With fans inside Toyota Arena on the edge of their seats the two-time 2024 PBR Camping World Team Series MVP dismounted the resilient animal following the 8-second buzzer and walked across the arena The California crowd erupted when announcers revealed his 90.5-point score – his second of the day and 84th  since beginning his PBR career in 2017 Texas) readied to ride as the final man out Kasel’s buckoff after 7.16 seconds clinched Leme’s 27th career event win.  “I’m so happy to be healthy again and riding good,” said Leme on the dirt post-event I just need to work harder and do what I do.” As one of only three men to go 3-for-3 over the weekend Leme earned $50,883.33 and collected 147.5 points moving from scoreless to No.3 in the UTB standings as the race for the 2025 world title ignites Texas) finished the weekend in second place After a tumultuous season with the Missouri Thunder during PBR Teams Alvidrez started the individual season by going 1-for-2 in Tucson He began the second UTB weekend by besting No Man’s Land for 85.25 points on Saturday night knowing he had ground to gain in entering Sunday  at No Sailing through Round 2 with an 88.75-point matchup with Good Riddance the 28-year-old Texan set his sights on his final ride of the weekend against Electric Kitty Alvidrez sailed through the air in supreme form until the buzzer sounded earned 100.25 points toward the Unleash The Beast standings.  Third place in Ontario put Lucas Divino (Nova Crixas 6 spot in the standings as the season kicks into full swing.  The Austin Gamblers rider walked into Sunday at No 23 in the event after his rather low 72-point ride aboard Joe Hawk in Round 1.  After an 85.5-point ride in Round 2 aboard Ah Hell his spot was secured in the championship round after No 12 qualifier 2018 PBR World Champion Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba Brazil) doctored out following a hard dismount landing flat on his back after making the whistle on his second qualified ride of the weekend.  Divino selected Hell Right as his matchup for the final round and the 30-year-old made it to the 8 for a solid 83 points.  Despite Kasel’s heartbreaking buck off in the Championship Round he leaves Ontario with a fourth-place finish 2 spot in the standings behind John Crimber and one spot ahead of Leme Having celebrated with teammate Divino as the Austin Gamblers clinched the 2024 PBR Teams Championship title in October the 25-year-old was paired with Coach as the weekend in Southern California began on Saturday Kasel stood and watched as the only man left to ride in Round 1 world leader John Crimber  and Florida Freedom phenom prepared for his matchup with Cyrus.  who was crowned the 2024 PBR Camping World Team Series MVP a few weeks ago and jumped out to lead in the world title race by winning in Tucson The streak of bad luck would follow him into Sunday as he was unable to convert on his Round 2 bull narrowing the gap between he and Kasel to 32.5 points Sitting atop the leaderboard heading into Sunday Kasel was paired with Kwik Lock in Sunday’s Round 2 Making quick work with a steadfast look on his face his ride score of 87.75 points pushed him into the final round.  Rounding out the Top 5 was veteran athlete Luciano De Castro (Guzolandia De Castro arrived in Ontario ready to blaze a trail Paired with Snoop Dog in Saturday’s opening round 7 on the event leaderboard heading into day two.  Showcasing flawless form as he soared through the air aboard In My Blood in Sunday’s matinee Round 2 the crowd roared as Castro’s 87.75-point score propelled him into the Championship Round.  Hitting the ground hard after a mere 3.13 seconds aboard his chosen opponent the Brazilian was visibly in pain as the sports medicine team helped him from the arena.  Despite the hard end to a productive weekend the Arizona Ridge Riders’ athlete earned 45.5 UTB standings points to move into No the cowboys of the PBR went 46-for-90 on the weekend (51%).  three bulls shared a striking 44.5-point bull score to share the YETI Bull of the Event title: Cyrus and Constant Payne for their Round 1 matchups with Crimber and Kaiden Loud (Kaufman Texas) respectively and Manaba in his Championship Round face-off with Dawson Branton (Jefferson were available LIVE and FREE on RidePass on Pluto TV PBR’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@pbr) PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer re-airs and on-demand replays of PBR UTB events and is available on desktops laptops and mobile devices via www.pluto.tv.  The PBR Unleash The Beast next travels to St PBR Unleash The Beast – PBR OntarioToyota Arena -Ontario California Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)1 Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media  The two-time World Champion notched the 27th UTB win of his career in California and heads to St Texas – Jose Vitor Leme does not want his son to ride bulls Three-year-old Theo was put in his first soccer league last year but didn’t like it because he was playing with kids two years older than him “I’m going to try again this year,” Leme said with a laugh Leme intimately knows the perils of bull riding the sport can be deadly – Leme was close friends with Amadeu Campos Silva has struggled mightily with injury since winning back-to-back World Championships in 2020-21 He hasn’t competed a full slate of Unleash The Beast events since 2021 missing all but six events in 2024 after doctoring out of the remainder of the season in March Since returning to premier series action in July for the PBR Team Series And while he might not want his son riding bulls Leme went 25-for-37 (67%) for the Austin Gamblers this past season anchoring the squad as it won the 2024 PBR Camping World Team Series Championship he was back on the UTB grind as the 2025 season kicked off in Tucson “Just working at home,” Leme said with a laugh at how he spent his brief offseason I had some projects at home that I had to finish I didn’t have too much time to go out and have fun or go visit my parents in Brazil I just stayed here and focused on the start of the season and just chasing that third one.” Things didn’t get off to an auspicious start in Tucson including his first two 90-point rides of the season to earn the event win—the 27th of his career and first since February 2023 I kind of missed this,” Leme told Kate Harrison with a laugh “I had to stay out last season because of injury I’m so happy to be healthy again and riding good so happy and thankful because God is blessing me a lot Leme notched his first qualified ride of the season in Round 1 in Ontario with 87.5 points on I’m Him he rode HomeBru for 90.25 points before punctuating his victory with 90.5 points on Umm in the championship round “Great bull ride right here,” 2016 World Champion Cooper Davis said “That bull could’ve bucked him off by stepping ahead right there but Jose just picks up on the lead change and goes to work.” “It’s always good to start healthy,” he said But I hope I can stay healthy through the season and finish We had a great Teams season – that helps a lot with confidence While Leme is all about making the 8-second whistle he’s developed some business ventures outside the arena to provide a bit of a distraction He’s raising bulls both at his ranch in Decatur “It’s hard to stay home and not do nothing,” he said and it’s something for your mind – that way Between the bulls and his hopefully soccer-playing son ET on RidePass on Pluto TV and the PBR’s YouTube channel) and I’m going to work hard to deserve that third gold buckle especially with all these other young guys doing great I just need to work harder and do what I do Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media (This story was updated to correct a misspelling/typo.) The Austin Gamblers are adding yet another ace to an already winning hand One month after winning the Camping World PBR Team Series championship the Gamblers have signed seven-time PRCA world champion and coveted free agent Sage Steele Kimzey adding a fourth superstar rider on a roster that already features two-time league MVP José Vitor Leme 2018 PBR world champion Kaique Pacheco and 2019 PBR rookie of the year Dalton Kasel 1 overall pick in the 2023 PBR draft was the 2024 PBR World Finals Event champion He was a key performer on the Carolina Cowboys' star-studded roster that dominated PBR Team Series play for much of last season before slumping at the end of the regular season "Sage is unique in that he brings not one thing but many things to our team," said JJ Gottsch "He obviously brings talent — a seven-time PRCA world champion and the PBR World Finals event champion last year And with that he also brings a wealth of experience a methodical approach to training and nutrition and is just a quality human being." The move was another offseason coup for the Gamblers who pulled off a similar high-profile move last year when they traded for Pacheco at the end of the previous season RELATED: The secret to the Austin Gamblers' success starts with rider Jose Vitor Leme The Gamblers put it all together this past season during an incredible playoff run to the championship in Las Vegas But they did struggle throughout the regular season Gottsch said that made it clear that despite winning the team championship we really felt like we were one rider away from winning the title Now we have the realization that the only thing harder than winning a title is defending a title By signing Sage we think we are putting a team together to give us the best chance to do that." The move also gives the Gamblers perhaps the most powerful starting lineup in the league Having Kimzey in the fold already has Gottsch and Gamblers head coach Michael Gaffney pondering how they'll set lineups each week “While José will probably still be the closer it’s what bulls you put them on," Gottsch said The question is how and where you slot your guys especially when you have more than three legitimate stars There’s still a lot of time before the season starts but our initial conversations have included a rotation of the guys throughout the year on who will be getting on those last two (ranked) bulls.” — a town with a population of 23 people — Kimzey was born to a family of ranchers who had experience competing in various events Kimzey frequently wears the dog tags of fallen soldiers during his rides and is a supporter of the American Valor Foundation Gottsch is confident that he's not only adding an immensely talented rider to his roster but also a man who will fit right into the Gamblers' culture “I know he has respect and admiration for all the teams and coaches in the league but for him this is a chance to ride for a city and a team that is close to him Team culture and how riders will fit in the locker room are always part of the discussion it takes a certain individual to be able to come into this team and have success "We had a lot of confidence that Kaique would fit in well and we feel the same about Sage," he continued "When you have everyone on the same page and committed to the same goal Here’s what happened around the PBR The Unleash The Beast field may be missing the 2024 World Champion but the 2025 world title race is already shaping up to be a banger Jose Vitor Leme reminded us who exactly he is For the first time since February of 2023, Jose Vitor Leme is back on top. The two-time World Champion won his first Unleash The Beast event in 20 months this past weekend in Ontario, California, going 3-for-3 with two 90-point rides to do so After missing most of the 2024 season with an injury Could this be Dalton Kasel’s year? After a second-place finish to begin the season in Tucson, Arizona, Kasel won Round 1 in Ontario to keep his momentum going strong ultimately finishing in fourth place overall Grayson Cole took the event win at the PBR Stockyards Showcase thanks to an event-high 89-point ride in Round 1. The 2025 PBR Canada season got underway this past weekend in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, with Tyler Craig going 2-for-2 for the event win. Check out the best photos from Ontario. What’s up next on the docket? The two-time World Champion is one of just two riders with multiple individual world titles and a PBR Teams Championship to his name Texas – The 2024 PBR Camping World Team Series Championship The championship game between the Austin Gamblers and Carolina Cowboys and the Gamblers held a 16-point lead with one rider remaining for each team The Gamblers were up first in the fifth frame – if they could get a score Jose Vitor Leme lowered himself into the chutes the two-time World Champion has been the closer for the Gamblers since the team’s inception The Gamblers finished the 2022 and 2023 regular seasons as the No bowing out in fifth place in 2022 and second in 2023 Leme has been the league’s best rider for three seasons winning the regular-season MVP award in both 2022 and 2023 but he couldn’t singlehandedly carry his team to the title and was never in a spot where he could win it Leme is a stunning 49-for-66 (74%) all-time in Las Vegas and it was finally time to deliver for Austin Leme rode Tijuana Two-Step for 89 points and the Gamblers’ first PBR Teams Championship RELATED: Austin Gamblers win 2024 PBR Teams Championship It’s even sweeter after the failures of years past “That’s the best feeling right now,” Leme said after hoisting the world’s largest gold buckle and being doused with champagne it was not going to be compared with this one we started this third season not very well and we did the most important thing: come to the finals and win the championship the Gamblers were a very different team this season After acquiring 2018 World Champion and 2022 PBR Teams Champion Kaique Pacheco from the Nashville Stampede many expected Austin to run roughshod over the rest of the league for a third consecutive season But the Gamblers stumbled to a 13-15 finish Despite another strong season from Leme (25-for-37 67%) and a rock-solid performance from Pacheco (19-for-33 plus solid contributions from Dalton Kasel (9-for-20 the Gamblers’ three-headed monster never materialized “I think it was just a bad season,” Leme said with a shrug “I wouldn’t switch this feeling for that one,” he added with a laugh “I’d rather have this feeling right now instead of having a great season come (to Vegas) and lose like we did in the past.” RELATED: Gamblers complete “all in” run after acquiring all-star Kaique Pacheco The hardships of the past may have also had some unforeseen benefits for the boys in black and green “Teams is completely different because you’ve got to work as a team,” Leme said You’ve got to help and support everybody because that makes the whole difference I think the first two seasons that we lost made us be better this season but our team was more connected with each other Our teammates were more helping each other even if we didn’t get the results that we wanted during the season Leme clinched his 2021 World Championship inside T-Mobile Arena with the highest-scoring ride in PBR history – 98.75 points on Woopaa Watching him punt his helmet and celebrate on the dirt again in 2024 brought back shades of that season this place is special for me,” Leme said of T-Mobile Arena and now I’m feeling so great because I’m healthy and that’s the biggest difference of Jose right now RELATED: Gamblers go from panic to perfect en route to the 2024 PBR Teams Championship Leme joins Silvano Alves (who called it a career at the Teams Championship) as the only two riders with multiple individual world titles and a Teams title It’s something that everyone wants to have and it’s not everyone that’s going to get it and I’m so happy and grateful to have that accomplishment.” the 2024 PBR Teams Championship is the latest accolade in what is one of the greatest careers in PBR history The last time he failed to win a major title in a calendar year was 2019 – he won individual world titles in 2020-21 Teams regular-season MVP awards in 2022-23 What is it that keeps him riding at such a high level but it’s something inside of me that wants to win and be better every day; every year do something that I won to have in my career I didn’t have a very great season on the UTB because I was fighting against a lot of injuries I want to do something different and motivate people to do it because coming from where I came from and being here that proves to everyone that anybody can do it So that’s what I want to finish with – people believing in themselves Back to 100% healthy and with some shiny new hardware on his belt Leme will be back in action when the Unleash The Beast kicks off with the PBR Tucson in Tucson And you can bet he’ll be fighting for another world title Photo courtesy of Josh Homer/Bull Stock Media Cassio Dias & Man Hater and Jose Vitor Leme & Woopaa have recorded the three highest-scoring rides in PBR history Texas – There’s nothing we love more than a good rider-vs.-bull rivalry Seeing two names next to each other on the daysheet and knowing magic is about to occur is one of the truly special parts of bull riding: both athletes can succeed simultaneously One of the all-time great rivalries is developing right before our eyes: 2024 PBR World Champion Cassio Dias vs 2024 YETI World Champion Bull Man Hater The two champs have matched up three times this year for three qualified rides north of 93 points It brings to mind another recent rivalry that produced nothing but fireworks: 2020-21 PBR World Champion Jose Vitor Leme vs Before Woopaa’s retirement in March of last year as the two matched up five times for four qualified rides – Woopaa finally bested Leme in their last dance just weeks before he was retired – with none scoring lower than 94.75 points WOOPAA BY THE NUMBERSMatchups: 5Qualified Rides: 4Lowest Score: 94.75 points (2021 in Fort Worth Texas)Highest Score: 98.75 points (2021 in Las Vegas)First Matchup: 2020 PBR World FinalsLast Matchup: March 12 Leme first climbed aboard Woopaa at the 2020 PBR World Finals in Arlington scoring 95.75 points in the ride that clinched him his first world title The out also helped Woopaa win the 2020 ABBI Classic championship After a paltry 94.75-point trip the following February they recorded what was then the highest-scoring ride in PBR history at 97.75 points with Woopaa recording a bull score of 48 points setting a new highest-scoring ride mark with a whopping 98.75 points at the 2021 PBR World Finals clinching world titles for both rider and bull Leme notched the first-ever perfect 50 rider score “Man, I think he wait for this moment like I wait for my second world title,” Leme said at the time “He deserves all that because he’s so great It doesn’t matter for him if you’re going to ride him or if you’re going to buck off That’s what it looks like he wants to show to everyone So that will be very special.’ And that’s what happened.” but Dias and Man Hater came close this past weekend at Rattler Days in Fort Worth MAN HATER BY THE NUMBERSMatchups: 3Qualified Rides: 3Lowest Score: 93.25 points (2024 in Albuquerque New Mexico)Highest Score: 98.25 points (2024 in Fort Worth Dias rode Man Hater for a stunning 98.25 points while Man Hater turned in a bull score of – get this – 49.25 points RELATED: Cassio Dias, Man Hater stamp PBR record books once more via flashy 98.25-point dance “No offense to anybody – that’s the best ride I’ve ever seen in my life,” Kansas City Outlaws Head Coach J.W Hart shared with Matt West on the Merit Street broadcast Where Man Hater has Woopaa beaten is in the bull score category While Woopaa never reached the 49-point mark and only reached 48 points twice Man Hater has eclipsed 48 points three times including scores of 49.25 points and 49.5 points – the highest bull score in PBR history What really sets Leme and Woopaa apart in the rivalry books are their duels on the biggest stage in the sport They faced off at two PBR World Finals in two world title-clinching outs for a combined three World Championships and an ABBI Classic championship is the fact that they reset the record for the highest-scoring ride twice Dias and Man Hater have done incredible things together and they both won the 2024 World Championships but they haven’t crossed paths at a championship event – yet 98.25 points would’ve been the highest-scoring ride in history it’s another reminder of just how alike Dias and Leme are Leme debuted in 2017 as a relatively unknown PBR Brazil champion winning the 2017 World Finals (his second event on U.S 2 in the world in 2018-19 and won world titles in 2020-21 He also won the PBR Camping World Team Series MVP award in 2022-23 Dias debuted in 2023 as a relatively unknown PBR Brazil champion He was drafted by the Kansas City Outlaws and completely turned the team around he set the world on fire as he nearly snatched the PBR Teams MVP award from Leme before winning seven events en route to the 2024 World Championship In their first overlapping season – PBR Teams in 2023 – Leme went 21-for-32 (71%) and Dias went 20-for-28 (71%) in a back-and-forth MVP race that ultimately went Leme’s way and carried the Austin Gamblers and Kansas City Outlaws to No “I used to see Jose Vitor riding here, and it’s a dream for me coming true, riding with him and competing with him,” Dias told PBR.com in July “I’m very happy to have this opportunity to do it.” spent most of the 2024 Unleash The Beast season sidelined with a groin injury and watched from afar as Dias had the best season since Leme’s in 2021 “It was great for him,” Leme said He deserved all the prizes and all the things that he won because he did really good during the season Nobody deserves more than him that world title because he won seven events in the regular season So I was cheering for him because he deserved that It was awesome to watch him win and make all the work he did during the year.” Leme commented that he was excited about Dias following the blueprint of his own career “He’s going the same way, so I hope he continues that and keeps pushing me to keep improving myself,” Leme said “That will help me a lot because I always ride better when I have someone with me on the same level Leme will have to find a new bovine partner if he wants to record a new highest-scoring ride with Dias and Man Hater showing no signs of slowing down Photo courtesy of Todd Brewer/Bull Stock Media the Kansas City Outlaws and Austin Gamblers stars could be in for another showdown in 2024 During the 2023 PBR Camping World Team Series season two-time World Champion (and 2022 PBR Teams MVP) Jose Vitor Leme and then-rookie Cassio Dias made the regular-season MVP race one for the ages and Dias went 20-for-28 (71%) in a back-and-forth MVP race that ultimately went Leme’s way and carried the Austin Gamblers and Kansas City Outlaws to No It looked like we were in for an all-time showdown in the 2024 World Championship race Leme competed in just six Unleash The Beast events before doctoring out of the rest of the season to heal a lingering groin injury while Dias swept through his rookie campaign with seven event wins to win the 2024 World Championship it’s the 2024 PBR Camping World Team Series season and they wasted no time picking up right where they left off last fall At the inaugural Wildcatter Days at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City Dias’s Outlaws and Leme’s Gamblers faced off in the first game of the season Koltin Hevalow led off with 88.5 points for Kansas City and Dalton Kasel followed that up with 87.25 points for Austin Nobody else made the 8-second whistle until it was time for each team’s closer Leme for the Gamblers and Dias for the Outlaws The ride was Dias’s first as a World Champion While his presence in the arena has a new gravitas to it he was not immune from nerves thanks to the injuries he sustained at the 2024 PBR World Finals: spinal fractures a partially collapsed lung and a concussion “It was good,” Dias said of his ride on Let’s Roll with the help of Bruno Zecchin translating because I had this injury during the World Finals but I was not 100% sure how I was going to be and I was very happy that I was able to ride and to glorify God again because I know that God is helping me He’s telling me that I was born for this.” Dias says he’s feeling 100% healthy to start the season but has only gotten on three bulls since Championship Sunday in Arlington on May 19: three in Brazil and three more in the U.S a bit of relief in Dias’s enthusiastic celebration when the Outlaws clinched their first win of 2024 whooping with delight and sharing a few hugs I feel that we built a family here – it’s not just a team because I like to be around my friends and with my team I like to ride and to compete for the Kansas City Outlaws and I’m 100% for this team because this is what I do.” life as a World Champion has been pretty good for the 22-year-old he spent time at home in São Francisco de Sales “It’s still weird for me because it’s like I don’t believe that all happened,” Dias said “I think it’s going to be true for me when I get the buckle and I see that it’s true having the opportunity to win this world title and everybody was very happy for my achievement.” Even more joyful for Dias is that he and his wife “I still don’t know what to do because there are a lot of new things happening in my life especially having my family here in the United States I feel blessed and very happy for this baby.” Despite still being off-kilter with all the blessings of the last few months he converted under pressure and against one of the greatest bull riders of all time That’s not just a win for the Outlaws but for bull riding fans everywhere “Each rider on the team needs to do his job so I was just focused on riding my bull and doing my job,” Dias said I’m very happy to have this opportunity to do it.” Jose Vitor Leme first reinjured his groin in November last year limping through six events before calling it quits in late March It was a brutal way for the two-time World Champion to go out and his nearly four-month layoff is his longest since coming to the U.S I hope now I can keep riding healthy and do what I know how to do.” is nervous about returning to regular competition “Still a little bit nervous since it has been a long time not competing every weekend I was working hard to get back on the first event of the Teams season That should make the rest of the league very nervous Leme was 9-for-14 (64%) in his limited action with his worst finish an 11th-place showing in Salt Lake City in February When he’s healthy – or even just healthy enough – Leme is nearly impossible to beat he followed along from home as Dias nearly tied the record of eight wins in a single season While Leme wants to be back in that MVP hunt immediately and lead the Gamblers to their third consecutive regular-season title and first PBR Teams Championship he knows his health is still a question mark we’ll see the same old Jose we’ve come to know and love but I’m excited to ride my bulls and do what I normally do: do my job So I think what everybody can expect from me is to work a lot and I’ll be trying hard to be the same Jose as the last couple years and be at the top.” That could very well include another battle with Dias for an MVP award “Last year was fun because me and him were back and forth almost the whole season so now we’re starting that again,” Leme said Who will exit the third year of 5-on-5 action as the 2024 PBR Teams MVP – When the PBR Camping World Team Series kicks off July 12-14 in Oklahoma City riders will very much approach the “team first” mentality as they battle it out alongside their brothers But with $100,000 and the honors to be named the 2024 PBR Teams MVP up for grabs you bet your ass these cowboys will be doing all they can to end the season with the highest aggregate score as individuals PBR.com is taking a deeper dive into what this year’s top PBR Teams MVP candidates look like from each of the PBR Teams’ 10 contending squads as we’ll save the drama for next week’s official Week 1 Power Rankings RELATED: 2024 PBR Camping World Team Series preseason power rankings While guys like Boudreaux Campbell and Leonardo Castro may need to take on some tough matchups for their respective squads they have more than enough skill to get the job done while giving their teams a chance at winning it all From chalk talk in taking two-time PBR Teams MVP Jose Vitor Leme to again lead his squad in conversions to seeing budding stars like Cort McFadden possibly pace his year one squad in qualified rides … As they’ve spent the last two months refining their skills in grinding their way to chart-topping status Photo courtesy of Josh Homer/Bull Stock Media The two-time World Champion has missed more than two months due to a groin injury – If it feels as though a world title race doesn’t truly begin until Jose Vitor Leme is around the pursuit of the 2024 PBR World Championship officially begins this weekend in Salt Lake City The two-time PBR World Champion and perennial world title contender returns to the draw at the PBR Salt Lake City on Feb 9-10 after missing more than two months with a groin injury 2 and completing a second-consecutive MVP campaign with the Austin Gamblers in PBR Teams the 2024 season hasn’t had nearly the start Leme would’ve hoped Leme competed in the first two Unleash The Beast events of the season in November and December but then doctored out due to a groin injury Leme says he felt the injury occur during his Round 1 ride aboard Buffalo Chip in St He earned 86.25 points for his efforts but did not finish the event “I felt my groin in the first movement I made to spur the bull and then again when I went to spur the bull for the second time, but I still managed to finish the ride,” Leme told Rodeio S.A While he initially didn’t think the injury was serious – it even occurred on the leg unaffected by his previous lingering groin injury – we haven’t seen him since which would’ve been prime opportunities to make up ground given the additional points on the line 35 in the Unleash The Beast World Championship standings But if anyone can make up ground in a world title race he competed in just 16 of 24 Unleash The Beast events and still finished No 2 in the standings with a world title in reach until the very last day of the PBR World Finals he competed in 21 of 30 events en route to his second world title Leme has dealt with a number of injuries in recent years so he’s ridden with and recovered from this type of injury before He’ll just have to put together a prototypical Leme season to make up ground In 2021, Leme had arguably the best season in PBR history, winning seven events – including the World Finals – and breaking or tying six records as he left other riders in his dust But even a more modest performance would do the trick he won three events and had eight Top-5 finishes and he could’ve won his third world title had he not stumbled at the World Finals he’s 4-for-4 with one 90-point ride and one Top-5 finish Will this be the Leme that returns in Salt Lake City The dilemma of leadership in a system where compromise is the currency of the day is that integrity becomes a burden Those who refuse to bend to the whims of corrupt power players or stand on their principles find themselves the target of campaigns to undermine them This has been the test before the National Security Adviser his record of service has proven to be his greatest shield This is the price to pay for being a man in the arena only that he’s not there to fight his detractors His job is one that doesn’t even afford him the luxury of shifting his gaze away from his target — those who undermine Nigeria’s security a calculated strategy to create tension and systematically target President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s key men The futility of this reflects in the triumphs the NSA has been recording in national assignments particularly his coordination of the armed forces The sustained degradation of bandits and terrorists while stability in the Niger Delta has improved through strategic dialogue and consultation Another key example is the recent engagement with Ogoni leaders which signalled the long-awaited resumption of activities in Ogoniland after years of stagnation Nobody who does his job has the luxury of partaking in politics It’s easy to tell those who don’t truly know Ribadu’s track record He never buys into the showmanship that could keep his gaze away from his target This is why it was easy for Nigerians to call out the Binance executive who had alleged that Ribadu sought a bribe from him and even made a ridiculous claim that the payout was to fund his political ambition The allegation was met with scepticism and absolute refutation from objective and non-partisan Nigerians — not only because the accuser lacks a shred of evidence but also because he fundamentally misjudged the character of the man he sought to malign Ribadu is a name synonymous with anti-corruption efforts in Nigeria He has spent decades demonstrating an incorruptible commitment to public service His reputation is not built on propaganda or media manipulation but on a long record of verifiable actions including his well-documented rejection of a $15 million bribe from former Delta State Governor James Ibori while serving as pioneer Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) etched in Nigeria’s anti-corruption history was not an isolated event but a reflection of Ribadu’s principles imagine believing that a man who rejected a $15 million bribe in his 40s—when he was supposedly more vulnerable—would now solicit a bribe from an employee of a foreign company during a highly publicised trial with the entire world watching Only the gullible would fall for the desperate fabrications of a drowning man whose company has been caught red-handed sabotaging Nigeria’s financial security and infrastructure Malam Nuhu Ribadu’s record speaks for itself Even staunch critics of the government have found the allegations laughable a well-known public intellectual and an uncompromising critic put it succinctly: “There’s plenty to critique about Ribadu (who among us is a saint?) but believing that a man who once turned down a literal $15 million cash bribe—and who knows his words will be dissected like a crime scene—would casually shake down a detainee for billions and helpfully explain what the money is for?” Kperogi’s assessment reflects the incredulity of discerning Nigerians who understand the difference between genuine whistleblowing and a clumsy attempt to deflect accountability What we are witnessing is not an exposé of corruption but a desperate stunt by an executive whose company has been implicated in financial crimes both in Nigeria and globally The Coalition for Transparency and Economic Reforms (COTER) representing over 250 civil society organisations rolling out Binance’s long history of financial misconduct across multiple jurisdictions already banned and fined billions of dollars in other countries researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories —no paywalls who attacked him over a comment he allegedly made in 2006 later campaigned for him in 2011 when he ran as the ACN presidential candidate—five years after the alleged remarks—under the very platform of the person he supposedly criticised This pattern is not uncommon; as seen with that woman and many who followed her lead in stirring controversy those with questionable records often seem to be the loudest voices in our political landscape today Their inconsistencies and constant flip-flopping are familiar patterns and should not come as a surprise—they are best ignored The battle ahead for Ribadu isn’t these inconsequential attempts at distraction as corruption fights back The battle is his patience in resisting the bait from local actors who have misjudged his character and seek to drag him into unnecessary controversies This was made clear in his statement reacting to an interview by Malam Nasir El-Rufai Rather than dignifying the claims with a lengthy rebuttal Ribadu emphasised his focus on his national assignment and his refusal to be drawn into petty media battles This response typifies his personality because the enemies are not those who assume they are his target and their accomplices and enablers who threaten the entire nation Ribadu’s greatest defence is not in rebutting these baseless allegations from estranged friends and proxies but in the weight of his own history His non-response to Malam El-Rufai is inspired by his conviction that the smear campaign against him is bound to collapse under the weight of its own contradictions—just as others before it have Abdulrahman Usman Leme a project management and development consultant Support PREMIUM TIMES' journalism of integrity and credibility we firmly believe in the importance of high-quality journalism Recognizing that not everyone can afford costly news subscriptions we are dedicated to delivering meticulously researched fact-checked news that remains freely accessible to all Whether you turn to Premium Times for daily updates in-depth investigations into pressing national issues It’s essential to acknowledge that news production incurs expenses and we take pride in never placing our stories behind a prohibitive paywall Would you consider supporting us with a modest contribution on a monthly basis to help maintain our commitment to free TEXT AD: Call Willie - +2348098788999 All content is Copyrighted © 2025 The Premium Times, Nigeria Please enter your username or email address to reset your password All content is Copyrighted © 2025 The Premium Times, Nigeria The two-time World Champion is also in danger of having to fight through the Ride for Redemption rounds at the 2024 PBR World Finals – The 2024 Unleash The Beast season has been a bumpy road for two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme He’s competed in just five events this season due to a lingering groin injury and is ranked an unthinkable No 25 in the Unleash The Beast World Championship standings For perspective: Leme has never finished a season worse than No when he competed in just two events on U.S He’s 8-for-11 on the season for a 72% riding average with two round wins After spending another month on the sidelines trying to let his groin heal Leme was back in the draw this past weekend at the PBR Albuquerque Ty Murray Invitational in Albuquerque it was Leme’s chance to make up some significant ground on No who’s in the process of running away with the world title race If you recall, Leme and Dias already have a history, battling it out for the 2023 PBR Camping World Team Series regular-season MVP award. Leme edged Dias by a single ride riding Bubba G for 84 points in Round 1 and Taylor’s Cowtown Throwdown for 85.75 points in Round 2 he bucked off of Younts Brody’s Pet in 2.09 seconds taking a brutal hit before being slammed to the dirt “Oh my gosh!” CBS announcer Craig Hummer exclaimed Leme was immediately helped off the dirt by bullfighter Cody Webster as a hush fell over the arena “There you see the flag,” two-time World Champion Justin McBride said “but I think that’s the furthest thing from everyone’s mind right now Leme did stand up and walk off the dirt under his own power CBS Sports Network’s Kate Harrison immediately reported that he doctored out of the championship round as well it meant that Leme missed out on the chance to do some catching up in the standings He finished 10th overall and earned 35.5 points toward the UTB standings but Dias finished second and added another 169.5 points the hit left Leme questionable for this weekend’s PBR Nampa He is currently in the draw and slated to face Buck Nation in Round 1 Leme looks to safely qualify for his eighth PBR World Finals the event’s new format leaves even one of the greatest riders of all time facing early elimination The 2024 World Finals gets underway with the four-day Eliminations on May 9-12 at Cowtown Coliseum 20 riders will advance to AT&T Stadium for the Championship Rounds on May 18-19 – the Top 15 in the UTB standings plus the Top 5 riders in the aggregate that have not already qualified If Leme doesn’t meet either of those criteria he would have to compete in the Ride for Redemption rounds on May 15-16 the 25 contestants not advancing plus 15 invites compete in two additional rounds with the Top 5 in the aggregate advancing to the Championship Rounds The Championship Rounds start with a clean slate and consist of the 25 qualifiers competing in two rounds per day the highest-ranked rider in the UTB standings will be crowned the PBR World Champion Get your 2024 PBR World Finals tickets now! 15 is Keyshawn Whitehorse with 266.66 points The event winner in Nampa receives 100 points just for winning the aggregate not even taking points for round placements or ride score bonuses into account As long as Leme is in the draw and even marginally healthy But will he be healthy enough to be in the draw Austin Gamblers win PBR team championship behind rides of Jose Vitor Leme Dalton KaselAustin American-StatesmanAfter ending their first two seasons on the brink of a Professional Bull Riders championship only to come up empty the Austin Gamblers made good on their third try at the PBR teams championship event in Las Vegas winning nine of their 10 games to claim the title 2 Carolina Cowboys by 105 points in the finals led by Dalton Kasel's championship-best 92-point ride aboard Always Been Ready and Jose Vitor Leme's 89-point ride aboard Tijuana Two-Step that clinched the title The Gamblers won back-to-back regular-season championships in 2022 and 2023 only to finish short of the PBR championship title in Las Vegas Austin was the top seed but was stricken by a string of injuries to riders as the Nashville Stampede won the title the Gamblers fell to the Texas Rattlers in the finals Kansas City beat the Florida Freedom in the third-place game scored 88 points on his ride in the finals for Austin followed by Lucas Divino's 88.5-point ride on Big Chew Kasel's 92-point ride and Leme's 89-point ride to propel the Gamblers to the title Will hospitality face another Google challenge now that the search engine has changed its approach to eliminating third-party cookies Having said they would end the use of third-party cookies in the Chrome browser for the past four years Instead they’ve chosen a softer option by putting the onus on the consumer to opt-out Following in the footsteps of Apple’s AppTrackingTransparency (ATT) on its Safari browser Chrome now lets consumers choose if they wish to allow third-party cookies to track them This announcement comes as no surprise since Google has been delaying a change to cookies for several years with no real action taken Even this new approach won’t change things immediately it does give advertisers more time to prepare for what will inevitably become a near cookieless world we’ve been preparing our customers since 2019 for these impending changes to ensure they maximize the use of their CRM and shift towards strategic initiatives to build out their first-party data repository While consumers have been able to opt out of third-party cookies on Google Chrome for some time, increasing awareness within the news has caused opt-out figures to rise. Currently, about 40% of Chrome users have opted out of cookie tracking. Third-party cookies on Chrome will probably disappear slowly rather than experience an instant death. Apple opt-in rates fell to between 12 – 40% after it made its third-party Cookie changes It’s expected that Google Chrome will see the same if not a greater reduction We expect that Google is likely to further invest in their platform on driving solutions that are using machine learning for optimization and bidding AI for automation and large-scale asset creation and data modeling to improve measurement accuracy So hotel and hospitality marketers should continue preparing for a future where privacy is increasingly prioritized and build a strategy that is not reliant on third-party cookies What do these changes mean for hotel marketers first-party data is essential for the travel industry to create targeted and personalized marketing campaigns These changes to third-party cookies will affect the ability to target look-a-like audiences on third-party channels as we move into a cookieless world We suggest hotels consider the following actions: With more platforms moving away from third-party cookies and increased global government regulation protecting individual user privacy – Cendyn has been preparing hoteliers for this shift for some time Third-party cookies will not disappear overnight but users are becoming more conscious of tracking data and opting for increased privacy Therefore hotel and hospitality businesses must adapt to collect and work with first-party owned data for the most effective marketing campaigns Watch this space for more insights on Google developments Christina Leme Senior Director, Global Media  at Cendyn. Connect with Christina on LinkedIn Cendyn is a global hospitality cloud-based technology company that enables hotels to Find and creating deeper connections with guests through its integrated solutions Cendyn has over 32,000 customers in more than 150 countries including brands Outrigger Hospitality and Onyx Hospitality Group - generating more than $20 billion in annual hotel revenue The company supports its growing customer base with offices across the globe To find out more, visit cendyn.com Click here to join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest hotel news and trends Copyright © Hotel News Resource & Nevistas | All rights reserved Two-time World Champion turning page to upcoming PBR Camping World Team Series season – While the 2024 Unleash The Beast season has undoubtedly been one for the books full of epic rookie performances from the likes of No the premier series pack has also endured its fair share of injuries as the world’s top bull riders continue to go head-to-head with the rankest bulls in the business Battling a groin injury for what seems like the entire 2024 slate two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme is one of the A-list cowboys who has struggled to be available this year he’s a stellar 9-for-14 (64.29%) on the season but only one of the scores was a 90-pointer it just didn’t seem like the same “Champ” figure we’ve been so used to watching And while we’ve known he hasn’t been at 100% at any point this season we all still had it in the back of our minds that the All-World talent was likely just saving some juice for the late-season stretch Only to put on the grandest of comeback shows at the 2024 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast! as he’s competed in just six events this season the veteran made the difficult choice to hang it up for the remainder of the campaign and focus his recovery efforts on the quickly approaching PBR Camping World Team Series season Taking to Instagram Tuesday evening to make the announcement the talented Brazilian shared the following message “The past few months have been one of great battles where I battled an injury that left me out of much of the Unleash The Beast season I have had to make the hardest decision of my professional career so far and I would like to officially announce that I will not be competing in any of the remaining five events of this UTB season I will also not be competing in the PBR World Finals in May being out of what would be my eighth-straight World Final as I've faced constant pain with every bull I ride and to insist on competing besides not getting me the results I've always sought can aggravate this injury even further and compromise my future I will continue my daily efforts to recover from this injury and hope to return to competing soon chasing my next goal which is to help the Austin Gamblers win the 2024 PBR Team Series I want to thank in advance for the fundamental support of my family my team and especially the fans who are with me every moment Good luck to my friends who will continue in this PBR World Title contention and I’m sure this will be one of the best seasons ever Leading the Austin Gamblers to two-consecutive regular season titles en route to securing first-round byes at the 2022 and 2023 PBR Teams Championships inside the luxurious T-Mobile Arena Leme has been a staple for the electric 5-on-5 series 1 overall some three summers ago by Head Coach Michael Gaffney and General Manager J.J the 27-year-old has only exceeded expectations capturing the first two PBR Teams MVP awards in stunning fashion Turning in a runner-up effort during the 2023 UTB season Leme will have to wait until the 2025 campaign for his next shot at joining fellow greats Silvano Alves and Adriano Moraes in the exclusive three-time winner’s club he’ll rest up and prepare for training camp with his green and black squad who will very much need him to be in tip-top condition as the squad and each of the other seven inaugural PBR Teams organizations prepare to lend talent to the league’s pair of new teams in the Oklahoma Wildcatters and the New York Mavericks RELATED: Oklahoma City and the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum to host 2024 PBR Teams Expansion Draft on April 10 With each of the eight existing teams able to protect three riders from being eligible in next week’s Expansion Draft who’s shown some strides throughout his rookie season on the premier series If they are to join the Nashville Stampede (2022 World Champions) and the Texas Rattlers (2023 World Champions) in capturing the world's largest gold buckle who's officially looking forward to his third season of camaraderie-driven action Bull riding fans can stay tuned to PBR.com and PBR social media channels (@PBR) as we continue to provide pack updates, injury statuses and beyond leading into the 2024 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast With a World Championship up for grabs May 9-19 there’s never been a better time to ride some bulls Especially when watching on as your friends continue to engage in RELATED: Unleash The Beast Game Notes: Albuquerque 2024 Even more so when the man you edged out by one ride score to secure your second-consecutive PBR Teams MVP honors just some six months ago is lighting the tour The very records you set as a blazing hot rookie not many moons ago Thankfully for two-time World Champion in Jose Vitor Leme the only thing he needs to be concerned with right now is his opening round showdown with Big Worm as the veteran prepares to return to competition for the first time in five weeks after dealing with a lower-body injury for quite some time Leme is far from the only rider who realizes what’s required in this unique season While the season-culminating format may be a bit different this time around the fact that you need to be well-positioned for the gauntlet event via riding bulls here during the stretch run has not changed one bit 27 spot despite competing in just four total events this season (finishing within the Top 13 of each 11th and most recently his sixth-place showing in Los Angeles the last time he was able to compete on the premier series) Leme brings his 6-for-8 record on the season into The Pit where he’ll look to begin what would be quite the historic climb up the standings in attempting to chase down his spitting image from just a few seasons ago RELATED: Who can catch Cassio Dias, and how? it would be quite the feat if Leme was able to erase the 883.83-point deficit which Dias continues to enjoy With plenty of bull power expected to be in attendance during the final four-round showdown of the season Leme will have all of the matchups he could imagine awaiting in the short round And when you consider the talented cowboy has been north of 86 in five of his six conversions on the year he’s got plenty of early-round ability to punch his ticket to this weekend’s championship round With 150+ UTB points and $100,000+ on the line for whoever can put on the grandest of shows inside the intimately legendary venue a favorable showing this weekend would go a long way in helping to propel the two-time World Champion closer to where he’d like to be heading into this year’s battle for the buckle Leme is far from the only rider who’s experienced an injury bug this season He’s also one of many veterans who find themselves ranked a bit lower than usual who’s also set to rejoin the pack atop the chutes after missing last weekend’s PBR Little Rock with some shoulder soreness 26 Kaique Pacheco has been able to stay within the Top 30 since overcoming a lower-body injury of his own But at just 8-for-23 (34.78%) on the season his presence down south in mid-May is also technically in question who’s avoided bumps and bruises for the most part but hasn’t enjoyed as many qualified rides as we’re used to seeing Competing this weekend courtesy of one of his final World Champion exemptions just days after being left unprotected by his Nashville Stampede PBR Teams squad the 36-year-old needs to turn back the clock in Albuquerque if he wants to even qualify for this year’s World Finals it sure wouldn’t be the same without the smiling Silvano when you consider the landscape of fiery rookie competitors and up-and-coming talent that’s invaded Unleash The Beast in 2024 it both makes sense as to why some of the fan favorites have struggled a bit within the standings while shining some light on just how electric these final seven events will be Fans preparing to join the world’s best bull riders as they head south for the most dramatic two weeks on tour should be sure to grab their tickets to the 2024 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast And for supporters in the greater Southwest debating on checking out the action this weekend, grab your tickets and head down to the show or be sure to tune in beginning Friday night as the best bull riders prepare to put on a SHOW With Unleash The Beast preparing to invade The Pit Friday night during the 17th event of the 2024 Unleash The Beast campaign March 22-24 during the final of three PBR Majors let’s take a look at who’s drawing into the lineup during the PBR Albuquerque Ty Murray Invitational: Exiting showdowns with T-Wrecks (83 points) and Tulsa Time (89.25 points) en route to picking up the Round 2 win and securing his spot in yet another championship round Dias completed the sweep by posting an event-high and tour-leading sixth 90-pointer the Brazilian talent handled his opponent with ease scored 90.5 points for his 8 seconds of perfection With both Kasel and Crimber failing to cover either of their bulls last weekend Dias nearly doubled his lead in Little Rock en route to reassuring fans around the world his health is improving available to contests this weekend in Albuquerque (more points as Ty Murray and his event prizes are both among rider favorites) a bull which has a perfect 2-0 record against Dias dispatching the talent at a pair of PBR Camping World Team Series events in Oklahoma City the tour’s top thrill-provider will look to keep his ride streak alive maybe event pick up what would be a circuit-best sixth title! After starting his weekend Thursday night with a big win at the PBR Stockyards Showcase within the elegant Cowtown Coliseum Dias is already warmed up and ready to ride RELATED: By the Numbers: Unstoppable Cassio Dias continues historic campaign with win No. 5 But after exiting the contest just 1-for-3 overall albeit still able to secure a ninth-place finish he opted into some extended rest in hoping to get his groins in a healthier state The very injury which has plagued him for quite some time Primed to dance with Bamboozle Friday night Jesus will look to pick things up in the ride column as he attempts to close the 703.83-point gap between he and No is slated to air on CBS Sports Network on Sunday RELATED: Where to Watch: Albuquerque Fans can also catch all three rounds of action on the TUDN Spanish broadcast MST and all of championship Sunday’s outs airing on Monday Fans can stay tuned to PBR.com and PBR social media channels throughout the weekend for the latest scores injury updates and beyond as Unleash The Beast prepares to invade The Pit March 22-24 Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media Tchiani’s allegations are a stark reminder of the dangers of misinformation in a fragile region They also reinforce the place of truth in the face of propaganda This phase is an opportunity for Nigeria and Niger to rise above this manufactured discord Whether through cultural affinity or shared goals both nations are challenged to counter the divisive narratives that threaten to undermine their longstanding partnership There could hardly be a more transparent work of fiction than the allegations made by Niger’s military leader in his widely discussed Christmas Day interview he accused Nigeria of conspiring with France to destabilise his country by allying with militant groups in the Lake Chad region These unfounded claims have ignited a storm of conspiracy theories deepened divisions in conversations about peace in West Africa and drawn ordinary citizens of both nations into a polarising narrative — a lamentable farewell to truth General Tchiani’s interview is a textbook deflection tactic aimed more at distracting from the state of affairs in Niger than offering a sincere assessment of the geopolitical challenges the country faces Such diversions are calculated to weaponise public sentiment against imagined enemies enabling him to rally popular support and extend his grip on power Niger’s prevailing struggles — marked by crippling economic sanctions and growing diplomatic isolation — provide a clear context for these baseless accusations The reason General Tchiani’s wild tales have even gained traction in Nigeria lies in the toxicity of internal partisan politics Many who know better or have the means to fact-check the claims have preferred to exploit the story to settle political scores or pursue agendas against the very nation they aspire to lead someday This marks a low point in Nigeria’s political discourse and lies are embraced with little scrutiny General Tchiani’s allegations could have been easily dismissed as tales by moonlight the responses from Nigerian officials have been both strategic and potent the Nigerian government has demonstrated that it has nothing to hide These officials effectively refuted the baseless claims while underscoring Nigeria’s longstanding policy of rejecting foreign military bases on its territory Ribadu posed a compelling challenge: What benefit could Nigeria possibly derive from destabilising Niger in an already volatile region He reassured that Nigeria would never partake in a conspiracy to harm its neighbours and diplomatic ties between Nigeria and Niger he dismissed Tchiani’s accusations as unfounded The claim of French military bases in Nigeria is one that Niger’s leadership with its resources for intelligence gathering and access to satellite imaging whose nation is renowned for a history of hosting foreign powers on its soil and has merely swapped French presence for another foreign power opted to unleash innocent journalists on a wild goose chase across purported locations of French military activity these efforts yielded no evidence to support his claims The only “proof” of Tchiani’s fairytales came from a video shared by Mahdi Shehu Shehu alleged that France was training Nigerian soldiers and claimed this as evidence of collaboration to destabilise Niger a fact-check by Daily Trust revealed the video to be from 2013 showing Nigerian troops arriving in Mali as part of an ECOWAS peacekeeping mission alongside French forces This revelation undermined assertions of Shehu and his co-travellers in his rush to popularise Tchiani’s narrative drawn by the allure of a “juicy story,” visited communities near the Niger-Nigeria border allegedly hosting French military bases What they found instead was a compelling rejection of Tchiani’s propaganda residents unanimously denied the existence of foreign military activity Vox pops and interviews painted a picture that directly contradicted the junta’s claims General Tchiani’s allegations have failed to convince many Nigerien citizens have taken to social media to dismiss his claims as a ploy to deflect attention from his regime’s failures following the ousting of democratically elected Mohamed Bazoum the junta has made little progress in stabilising the country accused Tchiani of resorting to propaganda to evade scrutiny and shift blame for his administration’s shortcomings Tchiani’s credibility has also been eroded by his inability to address Niger’s pressing economic and security challenges the country has faced an uptick in attacks from militant groups and widespread disillusionment among citizens he has chosen to scapegoat Nigeria and other external actors hoping to unite his fractured base against a fabricated common enemy many Nigerien commentators acknowledge Nigeria’s contributions to Niger’s development including projects like the Kano-Maradi Railway and its consistent advocacy for regional cooperation under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu They are also aware of Nigeria’s principled aversion to foreign military bases a policy underlined by historical events such as Nigeria’s diplomatic fallout with France over nuclear testing in the Sahara Desert This deeply ingrained principle of sovereignty and self-reliance in foreign policy continues to guide Nigeria’s approach to international relations Nigeria’s role as a critical stakeholder in ECOWAS brings to fore its commitment to regional stability has actively championed initiatives designed to restore peace in the region including efforts to mediate in Niger’s political crisis It is therefore laughable to suggest that Nigeria would partake in a conspiracy to undermine its neighbour and economic ties between Nigeria and Niger further highlight the absurdity of Tchiani’s claims The two nations share a 1,500-kilometre border and a long history of interdependence Communities on both sides of the border are deeply intertwined through kinship Any action to destabilise Niger would inevitably have repercussions for Nigeria making such an endeavour counterproductive Nigeria and Niger are bound by a shared destiny that cannot be undone by the ambitions of an individual deeply rooted in history and mutual interests has endured despite attempts to drive a wedge between the two nations The path forward lies in strengthening this bond through heightened awareness of divisive tactics As Nigeria and ECOWAS await Niger’s reconsideration of its withdrawal from the regional bloc would sabotage Niger at a time when efforts are focused on fostering unity and stability in West Africa The Austin Gamblers star and two-time World Champion also explains why exactly he bleached his hair FORT WORTH, Texas – In many ways, the Jose Vitor Leme that showed up for the Austin Gamblers for the 2023 PBR Camping World Team Series season was the same as we’ve seen since his 2017 debut Leme closed out the season with bleach-blonde hair I don’t think PBR is getting excited with me no more so I’ve got to do something different,’” Leme said Leme is always the most exciting rider in the draw the two-time World Champion put a bow on the regular season by winning his second consecutive PBR Teams MVP title given to the rider with the highest regular-season aggregate “Another great accomplishment for my career Entering Fort Worth, Leme was two bulls ahead of Cassio Dias of the Kansas City Outlaws. Dias went 3-for-3 in gameplay, and Leme kept pace until the Gamblers’ final game against the Missouri Thunder, when he bucked off Orca As the Outlaws went into extra outs against the Texas Rattlers Dias was 87 points behind with one more bull to get on I thought I was going to lose that because I never expect Cassio to buck off But Dias lasted just 2.21 seconds on Nefarious 1,7765.25 points to Dias’s 1,678.25 points Leme has won just about everything there is to win in the PBR (except a PBR Teams Championship) but says winning never gets old and it’s like you’re getting paid off your job I think I’ve been doing a good job this season Leme went 20-for-29 this season for a 68% riding percentage Dias went 19-for-26 for a stunning 73% riding percentage in his debut season “I just met him when he came here for the first time but I heard a lot about him,” Leme said of Dias Dias is following in Leme’s footsteps as a PBR Brazil Champion (Dias won in 2022 Leme in 2017) who came to the United States and immediately dominated – a prospect that Leme is excited about so I hope he continues that and keeps pushing me to keep improving myself,” he said “That will help me a lot because I always ride better when I have someone with me That motivation was key for Leme this season With the condensed Unleash The Beast season followed by the 11-event Teams season riders haven’t had much time to rest and recuperate but it was really fun because it was different This season was a longer season than last season in a short time Leme did manage to stay healthy for the full season, though he had a scare on Friday night in Fort Worth. He made the 8-second whistle for 88 points on a bull ironically named Whiplash and was then pulled down onto the bull’s head and knocked out It was a jarring wreck, but Leme passed the PBR sports medicine team’s concussion protocol with flying colors the next day and was back in the draw, riding Outlaw for 89.25 points against the Rattlers Nothing was going to get in his way in the pursuit of another buckle An even bigger buckle will be on the line in Las Vegas on Oct The Gamblers finished the regular season in the No securing a first-round bye for the second consecutive year They’ll wait to see who their first opponent will be following the conclusion of competition on Oct Leme will take a moment to enjoy the fruits of his regular-season labor Cristina Leme Lopes is Senior Research Manager at CPI/PUC-Rio and a lecturer at the LLM Program of Environmental Law of the PUC-Rio she works in the Climate Law and Governance Program developing research in the following areas: land use; Forest Code; biodiversity protection; property rights; and environmental governance Cristina is also co-leader of the Land Regularization Task Force of Brazilian Coalition on Climate Forests and Agriculture.She holds a master’s degree in Environmental Law at the University of Sorbonne In addition to her law degree from PUC-Rio she is also a chemical engineer from PUC-Rio which gives her multidisciplinary perspective in environmental matters Cristina worked as an independent consultant for environmental licensing processes and as a specialist in environmental legislation The 2022 MVP is crowned in episode seven of The Ride PUEBLO, Colo. – Inside Jose Vitor Leme’s man cave – there is a neon sign that proclaims it Leme’s man cave – the walls are lined with big checks “The World Finals event champion – that was the first check here,” Leme pointed out in episode seven of The Ride And all the other ones from different places In the middle are two $1 million checks from 2020 and 2021 “I’ve got those two in the middle – it’s the most special ones because that’s the World Champions ones,” he said Between those $1 million checks is a vertical banner from the 2019 PBR World Finals “‘Nothing is impossible.’ I believe in that.” Since 2019, Leme has indeed achieved the impossible. In addition to becoming just the second rider in PBR history to win back-to-back world titles, his 2021 season is arguably the best ever. He set or tied six records that year, including the highest-scoring ride in PBR history – 98.75 points aboard Woopaa to clinch the world title In 2022, Leme looked to hit another milestone accomplishment: winning the first-ever PBR Teams MVP award as a member of the Austin Gamblers Handed out at the conclusion of the regular season the MVP award would go to the rider with the highest aggregate score from his rides throughout the season and be accompanied by a $50,000 bonus But it wasn’t going to be easy for Leme. Heading into the final event of the regular season – Ridge Rider Days in Glendale, Arizona – Daylon Swearingen of the Carolina Cowboys was just three bulls behind and he would have to beat three bulls to take the lead He has a mathematical chance of doing that,” Leme said I am going to work hard so that I can keep the advantage and be the champion.” took some time before heading to the desert to work on his confidence I watch good rides that I’ve made and kind of slow it down and just remind myself that I know how to do it,” Swearingen said And the other half is drawing good bulls to get on and making every ride count I think having confidence in yourself is big is just boosting my confidence level and getting it back where it needs to be.” On the first night of competition at Ridge Rider Days, the Cowboys took on the Texas Rattlers, and Swearingen rode Bad Deal for 85.75 points to keep his MVP hopes alive The Gamblers took on the Missouri Thunder, and Leme climbed into the chutes aboard Bad Decisions in a clinching situation little brother,” Gamblers head coach Michael Gaffney said as he crouched next to the chute clinching yet another accolade and big check to hang on his man cave wall “I’m so happy,” Leme told Alan Bestwick after the ride “Another big win for me for my career – that’s going to be amazing Leme would go on to ride Chainsaw for 85 points against the Kansas City Outlaws before being called for a slap after 7.45 seconds on Dagger against the Arizona Ridge Riders Swearingen matched Leme’s 2-for-3 weekend, bucking off Bullet Train against the Thunder and riding Karizma for 89.25 points against the Nashville Stampede I think it come down to two rides,” Swearingen said “It was definitely something I wanted to win and there’s spots where I messed up where I shouldn’t have and I let some bulls slip up that I probably shouldn’t have Cowboys head coach Jerome Davis was disappointed for his star rider but knows this is far from Swearingen’s last opportunity to contend for an MVP award and he only lost by a couple bulls,” Davis said and he’ll take a gut punch and still come back the next night.” Leme and Swearingen then headed to Las Vegas for the 2022 PBR Teams Championship where the season ended in a way not many could have foreseen They’ll be back at it for their respective teams when the 2023 PBR Teams season kicks off on July 24-25 at Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne Both should be frontrunners in the MVP race again and we’ve got to fight for it every single day,” Swearingen said Jose Vitor Leme sits second on the event leaderboard heading into the final day of competition in New York City NEW YORK – It may be a new year and a new season The two-time World Champion is making his season debut this weekend at the PBR Monster Energy Buck Off at the Garden and despite missing the first five events of the Unleash The Beast season Leme is 2-for-2 in Madison Square Garden this weekend and sits second overall in the event aggregate as he looks to rebound from broken ribs suffered at the PBR Team Series Championship in Las Vegas in November and I thank God for giving me the health to do what I most love to do in my life.” And what Leme loves most is making the 8-second whistle he tied for fifth with 87.75 points on Pickle Moonshine He followed that up with 86.5 points on Bad Decisions and another fifth-place finish in Round 2 and he’s a really good bull,” Leme said of Bad Decisions “I was so happy to have him tonight for the second round and I’m just so happy for another qualified ride Leme says he couldn’t ride bulls for 50 days as he recovered from his injury leaving him on the sidelines as the premier series season got underway He admits that he didn’t watch too much of the events he missed as it was too hard to see other riders doing what he wanted to be doing But he spent his time off with friends and family to clear his mind and prepare for the long season ahead sit on the sofa at home and watch all those guys ride their bulls and making points If I had to stay out for a couple days or a couple months Leme is back just in time to earn redemption in the world’s most famous arena He’s one of the greatest bull riders in PBR history but success in Madison Square Garden has thus far alluded him he has one 15/15 Bucking Battle victory in 2019 was fifth in 2020 – he would ultimately go on to win his first of two world titles – which was the only time he’d recorded more than one ride until now not only because it was my first event of the season but because it’s Madison Square Garden,” Leme said but I never did really good during the event so I hope I continue that and finish with a buckle.” Leme will continue his odyssey on Championship Sunday (8 p.m He trails event leader Bob Mitchell (2-for-2 175 points) by just .75 points as he chases another event win 5 in the world after two consecutive world titles recording just seven 90-point rides and two-event wins But even after setting countless records and rewriting the history books Leme is still as motivated as ever to keep pursuing success “I think I have a lot of things to do in my career,” Leme said I’m not going to sit at home and just relax I’m going to work for another world title every time I get on the chutes and ride any bull “And now my next dream is to be a three-time World Champion × Discover the young talents given the chance to compete in the boys' and girls' events at Roland-Garros 2024 FFT President Gilles Moretton and Tournament Director Amélie Mauresmo are delighted to announce the wildcards attributed for the main draws of the girls’ and boys’ singles tournaments (2nd to 8th June) and and the juniors’ qualifying tournaments (30 and 31 May) at Roland-Garros 2024 Ophélie BOULLAY (FRA) / International tour juniors wildcard Nauhany Vitoria LEME DA SILVA(BRA) / Roland-Garros Junior Series by Renault Daphnée MPETSHI PERRICARD (FRA) / France tour juniors wildcard Alana SUBASIC (AUS) / Wildcard allocated within the framework of the agreement between the FFT and Tennis Australia Lucas MARIONNEAU (FRA) / France tour juniors wildcard Luis Augusto QUEIROZ MIGUEL (BRA) / Roland-Garros Junior Series by Renault Raphaël VAKSMANN (FRA) / International tour juniors wildcard *Juniors qualifying rounds take place at Cercle Athlétique Montrouge A blog of the Latin America Program How is Brazil working to overcome obstacles to its goals in the area Sustainable fuels for aviation and maritime transport are crucial indeed as those are hard-to-abate sectors the world has to decarbonize as fast as we possibly can And no single country will be able to produce enough clean fuel to replace fossil alternatives at scale Our main goal is speeding up the development of these fuels in a sustainable way worldwide This is a priority both of the Global Biofuels Alliance in particular in the G20 Energy Transitions Working Group such as preconceptions about certain technologies a resistance that is not always science-based We champion an “agnostic” approach to the energy transition: if a solution is sustainable and low in emissions–be it electric vehicles biogas–it should be adopted wherever it makes sense What we need are clear and objective sustainability criteria based on the life cycle of the carbon intensity of each option This is known as “technological neutrality.” Cherry-picking is not an option in a crisis like the climate emergency we are facing Of course biofuels have been and will be extremely important We are lucky to have a diversified energy mix Hydropower has been a major source of clean energy for decades They account for 20% of our electricity; a decade ago Electric vehicles are perhaps not a top priority as they are elsewhere but this does not mean we do not pay attention to them Hybrid cars running on ethanol and electric batteries are making a splash in Brazil Electric buses are becoming more and more common proving to be a solution in bigger towns and major cities with a Brazilian company behind their success we believe in an “agnostic” approach to decarbonization and might any of them be related to environmental protection It is not the Foreign Ministry’s job to determine domestic policy But it is our job to lead internationally whenever a policy has a foreign dimension We work hand in glove with the Ministry of Mines and Energy and other government departments in all areas that have an international dimension Strategic minerals are key to the energy transition globally and play a central part in increasing electrification and energy storage This is one policy area in which the domestic and foreign dimensions are particularly intertwined So this is an area in which the two ministries–Foreign Affairs and Mines and Energy–have been working closely together as a new policy on strategic minerals is being drafted Brazil is home to considerable deposits of minerals now considered strategic in the context of the energy transition Brazil has two major guidelines: we will not be drawn into international value chains as mere exporters of raw materials and we will not be drawn into “clubs” whose purpose is to exclude countries based on polarizing geopolitical considerations We want to be a part of reliable and resilient global supply chains of renewable energy and strategic minerals are an important part of them we think climate change is far too urgent to be an afterthought Jose Vitor Leme clinched the MVP award with his ride that helped Austin to victory over the Outlaws – Austin Gamblers coach Michael Gaffney still smiles when thinking back to the PBR Team Series season-opener in Cheyenne Team captain Jose Vitor Leme stood before his teammates with an important message “This is a conscious choice,” Gaffney recalls the two-time World Champion telling his teammates “You’ve got to choose if you want to be a winner or be somebody that just tags along.” And if the Gamblers had a bunch of followers The 26-year-old sets his expectations for his teammates extremely high but that is only because the bar he sets for himself is nothing short of perfection “He expects a lot from himself,” Gaffney explained “So when he doesn’t see that same – all the verbiage we use – the dedication but there’s a certain time and place for that But he’s not very tolerant when it comes to haphazardly going about this and his focus on doing all those almost menial tasks Even just the crease in his hat to the way he dresses.” It is why it came as no surprise that Leme clinched the league’s inaugural $50,000 MVP award on Saturday night at Rattler Days via his 85-point ride on Chainsaw in the team’s 263.25-257 victory over the Kansas City Outlaws (12-15 “It’s always a goal of mine to win something,” Leme said My first goal is to help the team and win with the team I am so happy to be the first one ever to win this prize It’s another great accomplishment for my career.” The ride was also fitting because it accomplished Leme’s priority: leading the Austin Gamblers to victory Leme’s ride on Saturday night pushed Austin back into the lead against Kansas City and it became the difference-maker in Austin earning the crucial win once 2022 Rookie of the Year Bob Mitchell failed to reach the 8-second mark on Off Campus and Koltin Hevalow bucked off South Paw “I’m glad he’s on our team,” Gaffney said with a laugh just being beside him makes our guys better.” The Gamblers have now won four of their past five games to surge to No 1 in the PBR Team Series ahead of the regular-season finale on Sunday at Desert Diamond Arena (5 p.m 1 seed for the 2022 PBR Team Series Championship (Nov A loss against Arizona could push Austin to as low as No 5 Carolina Cowboys (14-13) all are victorious on Sunday afternoon (Editor’s note: Ties in the PBR Team Series standings are broken via Bonus Round points) The Top 2 teams in the regular season get a first-round bye for the PBR Team Series Championship and automatically advance to the second round of the postseason competition at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas “It’s important to get a bye because you’ve got one step ahead of the other teams,” Leme said everybody wants to be in that first or second spot We’re just going to try to do our job and try to ride our bulls and do what we’ve been doing.” The MVP is awarded to the rider who finishes the regular season leading the PBR Team Series in total aggregate score 2 Daylon Swearingen (16-for-27) will be unable to catch Leme on the final day of the regular season on Sunday It was an extremely close battle between the two riders who also competed for the 2022 World Championship inside Dickies Arena this past May “It’s always hard to compete against somebody when you cannot control what they do,” Leme said “But he didn’t ride all his bulls and he had some trouble in some events Austin has had quite the rollercoaster of a season The team began the year 9-4 before Leme broke his ribs on Labor Day weekend playing soccer Austin went 1-5 without Leme in the lineup for two events and eventually stumbled to 11-11 before its late-season turnaround Austin never fell back below .500 since beginning the season 1-3 The turnaround was sparked not only by Leme’s return from injury but also by the addition of 2019 PBR Rookie of the Year Dalton Kasel at the Oct Kasel (91.25 points on WSM’s Time In A Bottle) teamed with Leme and Lucas Divino (87 points on Milk Mustache) to lead the Gamblers to victory I think that was the piece that was missing Everybody’s fired up to finish the regular season and go to the Finals in the first or second spot.” Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko – The reigning PBR (Professional Bull Riders) World Champion came back Saturday night without missing a beat Marking his return to competition after fracturing his ankle during his first out of the 2021 season Brazil) was triumphant at the elite Unleash The Beast: American Roots Edition tour stop inside Cowtown Coliseum winning Round 1 of the PBR Can-AM Invitational courtesy of a monstrous 90-point score In the seemingly unstoppable form that brought his first gold buckle in 2020 Leme matched Hundred Bad Days (TNT Bucking Bulls/Hart Cattle Co.) jump-for-jump in Round 1 and then casually stuck his dismount the fifth-best score of the season to date “I’m so glad to be back and healthy,” Leme said following his round victory I’m hoping we can be a good mom and father for him.” who is attempting to become just the second back-to-back World Champion in league history was sidelined on the first day of the new season when he bucked off Dirty Sancho (Blake Sharp/Koe Wetzel/High Voltage Cattle) in 2.75 seconds and fractured his right ankle reignited his quest for history after missing three events due to rehab Leme earned a critical 29 world points and catapulted 33 positions in the world standings Davis failed to extend his lead atop the world rankings on the opening night of action in Fort Worth was bested by Baby Gangster (Cooper/Scruggs Bucking Bulls) in a swift 2.82 seconds On a night of ferocious action that included 13 riders reaching the 8-second whistle The stoic South American contender logged the runner-up finish after covering Outlaw (Cord McCoy/Big Sky Bulls Vieira gained one position in the world standings and is now ranked No 13 in the world after entering the event ranked No 2019 PBR Rookie of the Year Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe Texas) and Rafael Henrique dos Santos (Sebastianopolis Brazil) tied for third after recording matching 88-point scores Covering Cuttin Torch (D&H Cattle/Flinn) Peep Show (3J Ranch) and House Mouse (Nothin’ But Try Ranch/Diggers Bucking Bulls) In the early 2021 PBR World Championship race the score allowed Santos to gain the most ground While he traveled to Cowtown Coliseum ranked No Cerqueira and Kasel also both gained ground with Cerqueira cracking the world’s Top 10 Friday night’s competition also included an American Bucking Bull Inc (ABBI) Classic event in conjunction with Round 1 that included 40 of the top 3- and 4-year-old up-and-coming bulls An ABBI Classic competition is the next step in a young bovine’s competitive career that involves bucking with a rider Juju (Julian/D&H Cattle) earned the Fort Worth Classic Champion title with a 91.8-point out against young gun Colten Fritzlan (Rifle Right Now (Silent 7/Hilton Bull Co.) was second with a 90-points effort while recently crowned Del Rio Classic Champion Manaba (Webb/Julian/D&H Cattle Co.) was third with 89.6 points for $4,300 Body Count (Bob & Jeri Adams/BS Cattle) posted 89.2 points for a fourth-place finish and $3,600 and Ranch Water (Waller/Red Laces) rounded out the Top 5 with 88.8 points for $3,000 and fifth-place Fans can relive all the action from Round 1 starting at 8:00 a.m The PBR Can-Am Invitational from Fort Worth and the iconic Cowtown Coliseum will conclude on Saturday PBR Unleash The Beast: American Roots EditionPBR Can-Am InvitationalCowtown Coliseum – Fort Worth TexasEvent Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points) The two-time World Champion is featured on the latest episode of PBR Top 30 PBR.com has been celebrating the league’s history and the legends of the sport But a milestone year like this one wouldn’t be complete without a definitive ranking Who are the best bull riders in PBR history head over to the PBR’s Facebook and YouTube pages to watch the latest episode and reminisce about the top riders and bulls the world has ever seen Featured in this installment is two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme who has rapidly become one of the greatest bull riders of all time “Jose Vitor Leme – he’s the GOAT,” PBR CEO and Commissioner Sean Gleason said simply In addition to his two world titles, Leme set or tied six PBR records in 2021 – most 90-point rides in a season (24) highest average ride score in a season (89.82 points) and most event wins in a season (8 That 2021 season is widely considered the greatest of all time and bettered another stellar season in 2020 2 in the world standings three times (2018 2023) and finished lower than that just once – he finished No 5 in 2022 when he missed significant time due to injury and could not complete the PBR World Finals But Leme was stellar even dating back to 2017 He won the PBR Brazil title that year before making his U.S where he went 6-for-6 to win the event and Rookie of the Year honors rolled into the Velocity Finals as his first event,” PBR co-founder and nine-time World Champion Ty Murray said “The PBR World Finals was his second event PBR.com’s From the Vault series looks back at that season when the Brazilian phenom had no idea the career that was in front of him Leme wins 2017 PBR Brazil championship (8/21/17) Brazil – Jose Vitor Leme capped off an impressive season by riding Zorro for 88.5 points to clinch the 2017 Monster Energy PBR Brazil Finals event title the 2017 PBR Brazil Rookie of the Year award and 2017 PBR Brazil championship on Sunday night going a perfect 5-for-5 to hold off Otniel da Silva (4-for-5 329.75 points) and Junior Patrick (4-for-5 The 21-year-old finished 1,862.5 points ahead of Lucas Divino for the 2017 championship READ MORE Leme goes perfect 6-for-6 to win World Finals and Rookie of the Year (11/6/17) LAS VEGAS – Jose Vitor Leme was standing on the bucking chutes inside South Point Arena in Las Vegas on Oct 28 nervously pacing back and forth with sweat trickling down his neck prior to the start of the 2017 Real Time Pain Relief Velocity Tour Finals His uncertainty was apparent as the young 21-year-old bull rider who had just arrived in the United States for the first time in his life 24 hours earlier could not understand anything being said around him nor did he know what to expect in his first PBR event on American soil and it is safe to say Leme is no longer nervous Leme is instead $416,000 richer and the 2017 PBR Rookie of the Year following one of the greatest performances in PBR World Finals history The 2017 PBR Brazil champion capped a perfect 6-for-6 showing at the 2017 Built Ford Tough World Finals by riding Magic Train for a career-high 94.25 points to become the 20th World Finals event winner in PBR history really surprised because I watched a few videos of that bull and he didn’t buck as great as he did with me,” Leme said with the help of Paulo Crimber translating I kind of got wowed by what he was doing and I had to step up my game and God just gave me the strength to keep going and ride him through the whistle and make that great 94-point ride READ MORE Leme’s ability to dance with bulls paying big dividends (11/8/17) EDMONTON – Jose Vitor Leme’s calves and thighs were muscular sculptures inside the locker room last weekend at T-Mobile Arena While normally hidden underneath his riding jeans inside the locker room Leme’s physique was on display as he walked around in a pair of shorts The 5-foot-5-inch bull rider spent his teenage years playing semi-professional soccer after taking up the sport when he was 11 years old It was during his time on the soccer field in Brazil that the 2017 PBR World Finals event winner perfected how to make quick agile adjustments and continue at a high-speed of movement while changing his direction Countless hours at practice led to his chiseled legs and body those physical attributes and lessons he learned as a teenager in Brazil have proven to be major advantages when he switched over to bull riding at 18 years old “It is really amazing how soccer has helped me,” Leme said with the help of Paulo Crimber translating “I don’t think that has come to be a bad experience I didn’t really start riding (bulls) until I was 18 you have to be real athletic and quick to make real short quick motions and you have to do the same thing on the back of a bull READ MORE Leme: ‘I cannot think of anything else that is not the world title.’ (12/28/17) confused and astonished look on Jose Vitor Leme’s face as he posed for photos inside T-Mobile Arena with a massive $300,000 check has finally disappeared The 21-year-old is not nearly as flabbergasted as he was following his 6-for-6 performance at the World Finals that made him the fourth rookie in PBR history to ever win the World Finals Walking away with a PBR-record $416,000 less than 10 days after first stepping foot in the United States was a lot for Leme to take in but he said last week that his disbelief is now evolving into greater confidence for 2018 “Today when I stop to look back to remember everything I've gone through to get here now I have a sense of how important it is for me to get this victory because it completely changed my life,” Leme said with the help of Miriaham Garcia translating Leme hasn’t spent much of his winnings just yet choosing to invest the majority of his money vs and he then bought himself a new Ford truck If he rides the way that he did at the World Finals as well as how he envisions himself riding in his mind then he may have a lot more to invest with in the coming years and seasons I cannot think of anything else in my head that is not the world title,” Leme said This is my dream and I will do everything to accomplish it.” READ MORE 2021 World Champion Jose Vitor Leme broke or tied six records en route to his second consecutive world title everyone has heard about Jose Vitor Leme’s historical season of greatness Many believe Leme’s 2021 campaign will go down as the best single season in PBR history and others believe 2021 may be a glimpse of what Leme can do in future years in the PBR Leme concluded the year 49-for-71 on the premier series with 24 90-point rides Leme had more 90-point rides (24) than buckoffs (22) Let’s take a look back at each record that Leme broke or tied this past season Most 90-point rides in a single season (24) Leme absolutely smashed the single-season 90-point ride record who posted 16 90-point rides during his 1999 World Championship season and stood for 21 years Fellow two-time World Champions Justin McBride (15 in 2007) and Jess Lockwood (14 in 2019) flirted with Hart’s record but no one was able to surpass it like Leme Three-time World Champion Adriano Moraes also posted 15 90-point rides in 2001 when he won his second world title 21 when he rode Show Me Homie for 90.75 points The 25-year-old was 90 points or higher 48% of the time he reached the 8-second mark He was on pace for 28 90-point rides before missing the final five events of the regular season with a core muscle injury Leme missed a total of eight events in 2021 because of injuries Mauney’s premier series round wins record as well if not for his core muscle injury Leme tied Mauney at 19 round wins when he was injured while riding Slingin Tears for 90.75 points during his event victory in Newark The fellow two-time World Champion would tack on two more round wins at the World Finals to take over sole possession of the record He officially passed Mauney by winning Round 4 with 92.5 points on WSM’s Jive Turkey Leme had nearly broken Mauney’s record two years ago finishing the 2019 season with 16 round wins Highest-scored qualified ride (98.75 points) & highest rider score (50 points) The previous record for the highest-scored bull ride in PBR history (96.5 points) stood for 22 years and occurred on four different occasions – Bubba Dunn (Promise Land in 1999) Shivers (Dillinger in 2001) and Michael Gaffney (Little Yellow Jacket in 2004) Leme set the new standard at 97.75 points on July 31 in Tulsa by riding his buddy Woopaa inside the BOK Center He would only need exactly 100 days to re-write his own record this season Leme set an even higher record by riding the 2021 YETI World Champion Bull for 98.75 points and registering the first-ever perfect rider score (50 points) Dusty LaBeth previously held the rider mark record with 49.5 points during his 2001 95.5-point ride on Cripple Creek Promise Land Highest average ride score in a single season (89.82 points) It comes as no surprise that the two massive scores and 24 90-point rides helped Leme set a new PBR record for the highest average ride score (89.82 points) in one season The previous high was held by two-time World Champion Justin McBride who averaged 89.35 points per ride in 2008 that average also came on 20 qualified rides during McBride’s injury-riddled (reconstructive shoulder surgery) 2008 campaign whereas Leme averaged 89.82 points this year on 49 qualified rides Most event wins in a season (tied with Justin McBride at 8) McBride and Leme share the record for most event wins in a season at eight apiece and there was probably a decent chance Leme would have won one of the final five regular-season events he missed McBride won eight of the 29 events he competed in during his 2007 World Championship compared to Leme winning eight of the 21 events he was at this season Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko Personalized news alerts with our mobile app Please subscribe to continue reading… Jose Vitor Leme won the Professional Bull Riders world championship Sunday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas Leme was a perfect six of six to win the World Finals en route to his second world title LAS VEGAS — It was another record-breaking day in a magical year for bull riding star Jose Vitor Leme In his typical record-shattering fashion for 2021 the Brazilian continued to dazzle aboard a bull and repeated as the Professional Bull Riders world champion on Sunday he also won the year-ending five-day World Finals Dougherty didn’t have a qualified ride in his final three attempts He earned 74 points at the World Finals and $20,000 Overall Dougherty finished in 13th place in the final world standings 2,331 points behind Leme’s 2,949.50 points Dougherty finished third with 618.5 points who finished fifth at the World Finals with rides of 91 rallied to win the ROY award with 828.5 points The PBR had reported earlier in the competition that Vastbinder was competing with a separated right (riding arm) shoulder and multiple broken ribs Vastbinder finished the year in ninth place in the overall rankings Leme, who in mid-May won the Billings Unleash The Beast tour stop for the second straight season, tied two-time PBR world champion Justin McBride (2005 2007) for the most event victories in a season The PBR reported McBride captured eight events during his championship season in 2007 In the championship round Sunday, Leme and Woopaa (Barker Bulls/Hookin’ W Ranch) once again danced to a record as the two produced a score of 98.75 points, breaking the previous high-marked ride in the 28-year history of the PBR the duo put together in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in late July. When the 25-year-old Leme and Woopaa bucked to a 97.75-point score at the BOK Center on July 31, Leme was credited with 49.75 points out of a possible 50 and Woopaa tallied a score of 48 Leme became the first rider to ever be awarded a perfect 50 points and Woopaa netted a record-setting contribution of 48.75 a score of 100 points is possible if a rider makes the 8-second whistle 50 points are for the bull and 50 for the cowboy Leme was a perfect six-for-six at the World Finals and earned the $1 million world champion bonus Leme also pocketed a $300,000 bonus as the World Finals event winner Leme notched two round wins in Vegas (Round 6 Leme had a total aggregate score of 544 and totaled 849 points at the World Finals joining three-time champ Silvano Alves (2011-12 and 2014) He is the seventh multiple-time champion in PBR history Entering the World Finals, Leme had missed the previous five events with a groin injury. The PBR noted in a press release that he continued to battle the “nagging groin and abdominal injury that was aggravated during his round-five ride,” in Vegas Sunday Leme also won the World Finals in 2017 and is the fourth rider in PBR history to claim victory at the event multiple times He is the fifth rider to win the World Finals by covering all of his bulls the PBR reported in a news release Leme had winnings of $1,871,257.92 this season The PBR reported he is now fifth all-time in money earned at league competitions with more than $5.11 million in winnings finished second at the event with an aggregate of 445.25 He earned 555 points and $236,300 at the season finale and finished the year in second place with 2,065.5 points and $484,757.92 in earnings Cooper Davis of Texas entered the World Finals in third place and remained in third at the conclusion He placed eighth at the World Finals and finished the season 1,420 points behind Leme Davis totaled $285,763.19 in winnings this year Overall in what has been labeled as a “season for the ages” for Leme by the PBR and others who follow the sport the standout cowboy set or tied five major PBR records in 2021 according to the league’s official press release: most round wins in a season (21) highest-marked qualified ride of all time (98.75 points) and most event wins in a season (tied with 8) NOTES: Volborg's Jess Lockwood, the PBR world champion in 2017 and 2019, did not compete at the World Finals. Lockwood, who missed a significant portion of the season due to various injuries, announced late last month that he was going to skip the remainder of the year and focus on 2022. … Montana cowboys Dakota Louis and Matt Triplett … Woopaa won the 2021 YETI PBR World Champion Bull award and the 2021 YETI PBR Bull of the World Finals … Junior Patrik Souza of Brazil scored an 81.75 point ride on Saturday in round four but “sustained an apparent femur fracture when he was stepped on following his get off,” the PBR reported Souza was leading the ROY race at the time Souza finished second in the ROY standings gains ground on defending titlist Jose Vitor Leme Cowboy has scored 88 and 89.25 points in first two rounds of event and is tied with two other bull riders for the lead Defending world champion Jose Vitor Leme placed sixth in the opening round Boudreaux Campbell of Texas captured the Velocity Tour Finals event win Bull rider's groin is still bothersome and he hopes to come back strong next year PBR.com reports Broadcaster had the call when Brazilian rider and top-ranked bull Woopaa created history just over a week ago in Oklahoma Brazilian superstar bull rider wins Billings PBR Unleash The Beast tour stop for a second consecutive year Chase Dougherty has family roots in Billings Brazilian bull rider extends world standings lead Montana's Dakota Louis and Jess Lockwood also place The PBR was in Billings on Saturday for Day 2 of the Ariat Invitational Circuit will stop in Billings April 29-May 1 2022 the superstar Brazilian bull rider won his second-consecutive Billings PBR tour stop Woopaa again honored as the Bull of the Event as he dances with another cowboy for a historic score Two-time world titlist from Volborg ended his 2021 season early due to injuries The two-time Professional Bull Riders world champion returned to the tour for the season opener after an injury-marred 2021 Montana cowboy now ranked 14th in PBR world standings Leme’s dominant PBR Team Series regular season leads to $50,000 bonus – With the first-ever PBR Team Series regular season officially in the books Austin Gamblers’ Jose Vitor Leme secured the PBR Team Series MVP title and accompanying $50,000 bonus this past weekend in Glendale courtesy of the star’s electric 19-for-25 performance this season Earning the highest aggregate score throughout the 10-event regular-season slate despite missing several outings due to injury Leme primarily battled with Carolina Cowboys’ frontrunner and 2022 PBR World Champion Daylon Swearingen Leme ultimately secured the feat inside Desert Diamond Arena last weekend at Ridge Rider Days As the Team Series Championship quickly approaches set to invade Las Vegas’s T-Mobile Arena on Nov PBR.com is looking back on Leme’s top five rides from the PBR Team Series regular-season action While it seemed like Leme was seemingly posting 90-point score after 90-point score this year during his dominant run in the new format bull riding fans may be surprised to see an 89.75-point performance in the MVP’s Top 5 rides Leme covered John 14:6 by matching the bovine athlete jump-for-jump to the right Meeting the requisite 8 seconds and sending the hometown Austin crowd into a furious applause as the veteran sealed the contest against the Nashville Stampede at Gambler Days Leme climbed aboard the dirt suites and celebrated with the supportive crowd throwing a patented Austin Gamblers poker chip into the masses before being mobbed by his teammates on the dirt as the team celebrated its victory Representing what would be the first of three-consecutive 90-plus-point rides for the two-time PBR World Champion Leme climbed aboard Patches for a Friday night showdown at Thunder Days Hosted within the beautiful outdoor confines of Thunder Ridge Nature Arena Patches and his opponent were primed for success Staying close to the chutes but bucking in epic fashion Patches allowed the veteran to surpass the 8-second and 90-point marks (90.25 points) en route to Leme securing the walk-off victory against the Oklahoma Freedom But there wasn’t much celebration following the cowboy’s dismount as Patches seemed to have stepped on Leme with his back legs at the end of their duel With noted rib injuries sustained earlier in the season who were in the thick of the PBR Team Series standings at the time next up on the schedule was a bye week for all teams while Leme ultimately rejoined his team Oct 7 at Rattler Days and got right back to work PBR fans likely remember some of Leme’s most recent epic rides 1 seed and secure a first-round bye at the Team Series Championship What they may not remember is that Leme came into the inaugural season of action red-hot going 3-for-3 at Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne Kicking off the weekend with an 89-point ride on The Right Stuff and following it up with an 86-point outing Saturday aboard Lil Hott would eventually see Leme ride a second bull on Tuesday Making his Bonus Round debut and securing 7 bonus points via his ride aboard Montana Jacket Despite Leme’s 3-for-3 weekend and second-place Bonus Round finish the Gamblers finished the weekend 1-1 and third overall as the rest of team went 2-for-8 in the opening weekend of action Leme clinched a Saturday night win over the Nashville Stampede 346.75-177.50 with an impressive 91-point outing aboard Hundred Bad Days “It’s unbelievable what we see from that guy are in awe of what Jose Vitor Leme brings to the table,” Matt West echoed throughout Dickies Arena and within the Pluto TV broadcast The matchup-securing ride was Leme’s second 90-plus-point outing in a row the veteran’s third-straight qualified ride and represented what would be the first of three successful rides in Fort Worth Capping off his 90-plus-point streak with his third of the weekend Bucked to the right via a familiar foe in Montana Jacket Leme jumped off his opponent and quickly mounted the stage as the Dickies Arena crowd roared with applause Featuring a pair of hearty scores (47.25 rider score combined with a 44.50 bull score both highs for Leme and his bovine competitors throughout the PBR Team Series season) Leme concluded the celebration with a helmet kick before kneeling and pointing to the sky Leme eventually went on to ride seven-straight en route to helping his Gamblers capture the No 1 seed and first-round bye at the Team Series Championship The MVP will now look to finish business for the green and black squad with hopes of throwing several Gamblers-branded poker chips to an energetic T-Mobile crowd in Las Vegas on Nov All the action from Las Vegas airs on CBS Sports Network Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media  From riding his bike to his first bull riding in Brazil to claiming the 2020 PBR World Championship with one of the greatest seasons in PBR history Jose Vitor Leme can finally celebrate his long-desired gold buckle Texas – Jose Vitor Leme climbed into a white golf cart in the bowels of AT&T Stadium just before 11 p.m on Saturday night and grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket The newly minted World Champion’s iPhone would not stop buzzing as the golf cart hummed its way toward the ramp that exits the home of the Dallas Cowboys onto East Randol Mill Road Leme let out a laugh and shook his head in disbelief Leme turned his head toward the left and peered inside the arena giving himself one more glance at where he had just ridden Woopaa for 95.75 points to clinch the 2020 PBR World Championship about an hour-and-a-half earlier But I know there is still plenty of work to do.” Leme finally had a small moment to exhale and sit back in the aftermath of his title-clinching ride night was a welcome relief to the 24-year-old who still had dirt on the brow of his forehead There were only a few stragglers left strolling down AT&T Way of the 15,000 socially distanced fans who were on their feet cheering for Leme when he became the PBR’s 19th different World Champion in its 27-year history As the golf cart slowed to a stop just before Lot 4 where Leme’s white 2017 Ford F-350 was parked Leme paused before hopping into his truck to make the quick 2.5-mile five-minute drive back to the Hilton Arlington He looked back at the stadium where he had finally achieved his lifelong dream There is still so much I want to accomplish I have always said I wanted to be a World Champion I know I want to be a two-time World Champion I always want to do better and do the impossible because I know I can do it.” The PBR will be releasing a documentary on Leme's successful 2020 season called "Chasing History with Jose Vitor Leme" in the coming weeks on its social media channels He quickly became enthralled with the sport of bull riding and started getting on calves as early as 7 years old used to compete at local bull ridings in Brazil Jose Vitor seemed destine to be on the path of becoming a bull rider until his parents divorced when he was 13 A post shared by José Vitor Leme Batista (@josevitorleme) Jose Vitor switched things up and became focusing on soccer which he first started playing at 11 years old eventually displaying his tremendous athletic ability on the field as a semi-professional soccer player still had this burning desire to give bull riding a shot it often takes an invitation to compete at an event or elite level his options were extremely limited at first seeing as he wasn’t fully immersed in the bull riding culture just yet RELATED: Leme's ability to dance with bulls paying big dividends Leme finally found an opportunity in Rochedo The problem was Leme did not have a car or an easy means to get there Unlike his easy 5-minute drive to and from the hotel this past week during the PBR World Finals Leme hopped on his bike and pedaled the six miles it’s different,” Leme said with the help of Paulo Crimber translating “It’s not a championship or an association you can ride in You’ve got to be invited to be able to go somewhere and the only little things I had around me was 10 kilometers away and I had to ride my bike that much to get to it A HUMBLE UPBRINGING AND A FRUITFUL PHONE CALL HOME or take the bus to find places to compete in Brazil as his love for bull riding grew Antonio was excited to share in his son’s passion for the sport Antonio quickly bought his son a bull rope my dad never bought me new soccer shoes or anything new,” Leme said before smiling “My dad helped me out on the path (of becoming a bull rider) because he really liked it.” Leme learned to improvise with his gear as best he could and would reuse tape to tie his boots “At times I didn’t have money to buy the equipment for me to do my work,” Leme explained I cut off the hangers of them to make spur straps or I would just get some old tapes to get my boots wrapped up and tied on Antonio was one of the first phone calls Leme made on Saturday night before he attended a virtual press conference following his title-clinching Antonio was unable to watch Leme’s sensational World Finals victory live three years ago but a family friend was able to help him watch his son win the world title on RidePass this weekend Leme lowered his cowboy hat over his eyes and he attempted to tuck his chin as tears began to stream down his face as the father and son shared in the victory “He never wants to express his emotions through words or anything like that He never was the kind to say ‘congratulations’ too much “That’s the reason I came over here (to the United States) and it’s something that’s really emotional and touched me really hard.” Leme concluded the 2020 season with $1.6 million in earnings, and he hopes his father will let him buy him a new ranch or help make improvements to the family ranch. In 2017, Leme used portions of his winnings from the 2017 World Finals event victory to buy Silvia a new house Silvia had Leme laughing on stage when he called home to tell her he was finally a World Champion “My mom is the opposite of my dad,” Leme said but I know she just had no words to describe how proud and how happy she was for me Leme’s family likely would have come to the United States to watch their son cap off his historic World Championship season if not for the COVID-19 pandemic leading to travel restrictions all over the world attended the 2019 PBR World Finals only to see Jose Vitor lose in heartbreaking fashion to Jess Lockwood A post shared by José Vitor Leme Batista (@josevitorleme) It was then Leme vowed to his family that he would not return home to Brazil until he was a World Champion “I told them I was not going to go back home before I got that gold buckle,” Leme said and I just changed my mind about going back I was kind of waiting to see where I was to make sure I was going to go back a World Champion “I can go home and get there and give them a big hug and say now I came back home and I did what I went there for Jose Vitor Leme stood just beyond the out gate and began to tug at the riding glove on his left hand on November 10 “The champ is here” was blaring on full blast throughout the loudspeakers at T-Mobile Arena as newly minted 2019 World Champion Jess Lockwood climbed aboard Canadian Mist during the championship round of the 2019 PBR World Finals Leme tucked his chin and his upper lip quivered as he waited for Lockwood’s celebration to end inside the arena CBS Sports Network needed to do an interview with him A small tear began to trickle down his right cheek as that reality set in The 2017 PBR World Finals event winner had received a standing ovation from the PBR’s loyal fan base minutes earlier as well as Lockwood and the other 39 riders in the locker room knew Leme put forth an unbelievable season even if it did not end with a gold buckle But being runner-up for a second consecutive season a year after finishing 422.5 points behind 2018 World Champion Kaique Pacheco cut into Leme unlike anything else Rarely has he ever displayed that level of sadness or frustration since he went 6-for-6 to win the 2017 PBR World Finals in his United States debut Lucas Divino saw Leme struggling and gave him a massive hug letting him bury his head away from the cameras and Divino knew in that moment that his best friend needed someone to tell him to not give up on his dreams Know you are the best the entire year and next year you will be a World Champion.” and Divino was one of the first men inside the locker room to give Leme a big hug Leme made a promise to himself last year inside T-Mobile Arena that he would work that much harder in the offseason He was  determined to reach the pinnacle of being a World Champion this year “That was probably the moment I walked away from the arena last year and I knew this year I was going to work so hard to make that (not) happen (again),” Leme said I knew the only way for me not to get it this year was just because God didn’t want me to Leme path’s to his first gold buckle was nothing short of relentless weeks and months following his second consecutive runner-up finish in the world title race last fall He would get on practice bulls almost daily even after he had opened up a 593.09-point lead in the world standings by the second week of September Even after he became only the third rider all-time to win three consecutive premier series events this past August/September Leme wanted to make sure he left no stone unturned in the 2020 World Championship race and he dedicated himself to making sure he could ride the rankest bulls in the world and that’s different from last year,” Leme said “It’s hard for anybody to work so hard through the year and then come to that point and finish in second helped me go through that and keep my head up and work for it but I knew sooner or later I was going to get it.” If none of his friends were available to practice he would get on bulls by himself and have his dogs “Every day I tried to keep getting better at my work who also improved his English in 2020 as well God gave it to me because he see how hard I work and how hard I work to ride bulls away from my hand saw how hurt her husband was last year in the agony of defeat She saw him wake up early and train nonstop during the last 12 months to reach this moment Amanda stood on the stage of AT&T Stadium Sunday night beaming from ear to ear She knew her husband would one day make his dreams a true reality She told him as such last year when he walked out of the locker room on Championship Sunday at the 2019 World Finals in Las Vegas without the gold buckle “It is a really different set of emotions from last year to this,” Amanda said with the help of Paulo Crimber translating Our baby is going to be so proud of his daddy He did what he was supposed to do and kept his belief in himself A post shared by José Vitor Leme Batista (@josevitorleme) Leme’s obsession with excellence paid off tremendously this season even before he departed AT&T Stadium with the 2020 world title Leme had already put forth one of the greatest seasons in PBR history before he finished off his gold buckle campaign with a 3-for-5 performance at the PBR World Finals The four-time PBR World Finals qualifier finished 2020 44-for-65 (67.89%) with seven event wins Leme failed to earn world points in only four of the 20 Unleash The Beast events at which he competed He was also one event win away from tying Justin McBride’s all-time record for most event wins in one season (8) McBride competed at 34 events in 2008 compared to Leme’s 20 “That is a special young man,” McBride said during the CBS Sports Network telecast “I have got to watch over the last 20-plus years all of the greats that have come through the PBR and I have not seen anybody do it in any bigger fashion than what Jose Vitor Leme has done in 2020.” Three-time World Champion Adriano Moraes witnessed Leme’s rise to greatness beginning in 2017 when Leme won the prestigious PBR Brazil Triple Crown – 2017 PBR Brazil champion 2017 PBR Brazil Finals event winner and 2017 PBR Brazil Rookie of the Year Leme’s dominance in Brazil in 2017 led to him receiving a berth at the Velocity Tour Finals which led to Leme then qualifying and winning the 2017 PBR World Finals Circa 2017: Looking back at Jose Vitor Leme's sensational introduction to PBR fans in 2017 Moraes spoke at length with Leme this past January in New York about how Leme could improve riding bulls away from his hand and Moraes is proud to see Leme put the work in to add his name to the PBR record books very pleased that he finally got it,” Moraes said I am very proud he was able to overcome these bad couple of weeks at the end of the season he had compared to what he was very very excited that he was able to wrap it up with a 95.75 ride One of the rankest rides Leme made in 2020 outside of his emphatic 95.75-point ride on Woopaa wound up coming away from his hand when he rode 2019 ABBI Classic champion Chiseled for 94 points in Salt Lake City Leme then conquered two-time YETI World Champion Bull Smooth Operator for 94.25 points on Sept as he won both the 15/15 Bucking Battle and the event title that weekend what wound up slowing Leme down was not the rankest bulls on the planet after coming in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 Leme never worried about COVID-19 cancelling the remainder of the season He was confident the PBR and its Commissioner Sean Gleason would keep the sport moving forward “I really never kind of got too worried about the COVID or anything like that,” Leme said “I didn’t think about any of that through the year because I knew God has a time for everything And if it was God’s time – God puts something down 2008 World Champion Guilherme Marchi finished runner-up in three consecutive world title races before ultimately winning his gold buckle 12 years ago He knew exactly how Leme was feeling last season, and he remembers Leme explaining to him how much harder he was going to work in 2020 to improve himself. everything,” Marchi said on Sunday morning he has been working hard the last two years I am very proud of him because we know how hard he has been pushing himself ‘I want to learn how to ride any caliber of bulls and he proved to everybody he is the best in the world I am happy because I know where he come from Since he first started riding bulls as a kid He wanted to prove to himself how good he is.” RELATED: Team Brazil coach says Leme will bounce back from heartbreak Leme finished 656.09 points ahead of world No who was unable to compete at the World Finals after testing positive for COVID-19 2018 World Champion Kaique Pacheco shook Leme’s hand in the locker room late on Saturday night once Leme’s round win aboard Woopaa officially eliminated him from world title contention Pacheco was the last man mathematically alive in the world title race on Saturday night and he ultimately finished sixth in the world standings two years after he held off Leme for the World Championship There was another fellow World Champion on Saturday night who made sure to seek out Leme inside the locker room the man who indirectly caused Leme so much heartbreak one year ago champ,” Lockwood said before shaking Leme’s hand Lockwood said he knew Leme would come back motivated to not let himself feel that kind of disappointment again in 2020 of course it’s going to piss you off and you’re going to want to do better next year just to ride with him and compete with how good he’s riding at this point.” ‘THIS IS THE GREATEST MOMENT OF MY CAREER – SO FAR’ but extremely telling moment Saturday night on the center stage inside AT&T Stadium in the aftermath of Leme’s 95.75-point Leme was amidst an interview with Kate Harrison on CBS Sports Network when he reflected on his historic season and said Leme had just reached the pinnacle of the sport and he still believes there is more to accomplish and do the newly minted World Champion already was thinking about what is next and how can he be that much better even though he had just put forth one of the greatest seasons in PBR history “I say that because I’m not done yet,” Leme explained later next year I’ll be working harder to do better than I did this year And that automatically gives me a chance to break my own records Nine-time World Champion Ty Murray could relate Murray explained earlier on Saturday morning before Leme had even clinched the world title that even an all-time great such as himself never felt exactly satisfied and willingness to make those adjustments to get better I never felt like I was as good as I could have been not feeling like you ever really got as much as you should’ve got “It’s like an everyday thing that you have to work at Leme’s athletic prowess was immediately evident when he showed up three years ago as an unknown a chiseled body and a knack for landing on his feet after riding bull after bull at his first PBR World Finals But what no one knew then was just how committed Leme was to greatness focus and drive is making waves throughout the sport and impressing legends and World Champions of previous decades 2009 World Champion Kody Lostroh expressed his amazement and belief that Leme will go down as the all-time greatest bull rider if he continues on his current trajectory Lostroh believes a champion like Leme can elevate the sport to even greater heights “We’ve seen lots of very talented guys in the PBR but I don’t think we’ve ever seen one as talented and devoted as Jose,” Lostroh said “What he’s done in the past couple years is special but he’s got high work ethic that is rare among talented riders is that it’s attainable for everyone if they’re willing to work at it hard enough And I love seeing a guy pour his heart into a goal like that Not everyone is blessed with natural ability but everyone has the same opportunity to put in hard work The future will belong to those who put in the work like Jose His story is a building block to keep the level of competition rising Jose has set the bar as high as I’ve ever seen He will break all the records before his career is done.” The man who Leme aspires to be in the arena and the one he talked about in the wee hours of Saturday night on the way to his truck was the one wanting to spend time with him on Sunday long after the World Finals wrapped up The locker room was empty except for three riders – Leme Mauney had waited for all of the pomp and circumstances inside the arena to end He watched Leme hoist the PBR World Championship like he did in 2013 and 2015 He grinned as Leme took a celebratory drink of Coors Banquet out of the prestigious trophy and future first ballot Ring of Honor inductee told Leme earlier in the day he wanted to have a beer with him before he left A post shared by JB Mauney (@jbmauneyxv) Two juggernauts of the sport who respect each other greatly drank a beer together in private and chatted for about 20 minutes Some may say it was a passing of the torch made sure to tell Leme he was ready to come after his gold buckle in 2021 You are at least going to take a swig and toast on it.’” “You are a bull riding bastard,” Mauney said When Leme got back home to his ranch on Sunday night he could finally look at the wall in one of his rooms with beaming pride Leme had kept a daily reminder of his pursuit of a World Championship at his ranch in Decatur There is a room where he has hung a slew of his prestigious event buckles that he has won in his brief three-plus year career Whether it is the 2017 PBR World Finals event buckle that came only 10 days after he first stepped foot in the United States or one of his 13 event wins on the Unleash The Beast Leme had kept an empty spot on the wall for a gold buckle Every day he wanted to make sure he remembered why he needed to walk outside to his personal practice pen or spend an hour on the treadmill in his workout room Leme will now finally be able to place a gold buckle in that slot once his name is officially engraved on the Montana Silversmiths 2020 PBR World Championship buckle                                                                                                           Just to be able to open a door in your house and walk in and look over there and see that the most prestigious title and buckle you can have is right there “It’s going to be something that’s going to be special forever.” Leme earned 158.5 Unleash The Beast points to catapult from unranked to No 10 in the race for the 2023 PBR World Championship NEW YORK CITY – As the record-setting PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast event in New York City wound to a close two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo Brazil) was electric in his 2023 season debut Leme went 3-for-4 and delivered the high-marked ride of the tour stop when it counted most in the championship round to clinch the victory at the Monster Energy Buck Off at the Garden Chasing his record-tying third World Championship Leme’s golden finish propelled him from unranked to No “It’s my first time winning in Madison Square Garden and my first win of the season,” Leme said I thank the Lord for allowing me to do what l love and being here in New York with these great fans supporting us.” As action got underway inside Madison Square Garden Friday evening Leme quickly struck in Round 1 when he covered Pickle Moonshine (Shuler Bucking Bulls) for 87.75 points Leme rose to second when he converted aboard Bad Decisions (TNT Bucking Bulls/Hart Cattle Co.) for 86.5 points in Round 2 Leme was finally stopped by Choc Tease (Cord McCoy/BuzzBallz LLC/McCoy Rodeo) as Championship Sunday got underway with Round 3 tossed to the dirt in a swift 3.25 seconds The 2-for-3 showing gave Leme the third pick in the championship round bull draft which he used to select Cliff Hanger (Cord McCoy/Pioneer Bulls/McCoy Rodeo) Leme remained in perfect time with the animal athlete and reached the requisite 8 for a mammoth 92 points putting him into the event lead for good to hoist the one-of-a-kind Charging Bull championship trophy The monster score was Leme’s 65th 90-point ride in premier-series competition and is the second-best score thus far in 2023 Leme earned a crucial 158.5 Unleash The Beast points and a check for $45,825 garnering $21,906 and 109 Unleash The Beast points After a swift 2.36-second buckoff dealt to him by Tested’s Viper (Hookin’ W LeFlore Bucking Bulls) in Round 1 The reserved Brazilian first struck in Round 2 when he rode Theodore (Lari Crane/Gene Owen) for 86 points Aparecido then continued to climb the event standings and punched his ticket to the championship round when he covered Concho (M Rafter E Bucking Bulls) for a matching 86 points The back-to-back qualified rides elevated Aparecido to fifth in the event standings providing him the opportunity to select Tulsa Time (Cord McCoy/Kelly & Cami Heath/McCoy Rodeo) as his final animal athlete opponent Aparecido conquered the powerful bovine athlete for a commanding 90.5 points to clinch the runner-up finish After traveling to The World’s Most Famous Arena™ ranked No Reigning PBR Rookie of the Year Bob Mitchell (Steelville Mitchell was sensational as competition got underway in Round 1 for the Monster Energy Buck Off at the Garden tying for the top score when he rode Tijuana Two-Step (M Rafter E Bulls) for 90 points The charismatic Missouri native then retained his spot atop the leaderboard when he covered White Dust (Mike Miller Bucking Bulls) for 85 points in Round 2 Despite being bested by Rank Frank (M Rafter E Bucking Bulls) in 3.11 seconds in the third round Mitchell’s first two scores were enough to keep him atop the leaderboard Mitchell then confidently selected Canadian-born Moonlight Party (Jane Clark/Gene Owen) as his championship-round opponent as he was tossed in a hard-fought 5.83 seconds The podium finish garnered Mitchell $12,063 and a critical 80 Unleash The Beast points He surged 14 positions in the World Championship standings Petri’s 87-point score atop Viper (Cord McCoy/Big Sky Bulls LLC/McCoy Rodeo) in Round 2 and 87.25-point effort aboard Norse God (Jane Clark/Gene Owen) in Round 3 earned him $10,369 and 67 Unleash The Beast points the Texan is now ranked inside the Top 10 in the standings He is now within 210.5 points of the top position Rounding out the Top 5 in fifth was Thiago Salgado (Navirai riding Cowboy Playboy (M Rafter E Bucking Bulls) for 87.75 points and Razzmatazz (M Rafter E/High View Cattle) for 86 points He left Madison Square Garden with 52 Unleash The Beast points reigning YETI World Champion Bull Ridin Solo (Cord McCoy/Bill McCarty/McCoy Rodeo) and Dennis The Menace (Viducic Bucking Bulls/White Trash Buckers) tied for the YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Event honor each marked 45.5 points in the championship round Ridin Solo posted the score courtesy of his 4.73-second buckoff of Salgado while Dennis The Menace earned the marks when he tossed Koltin Hevalow (Smithville the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour held events in both Lexington Delivering an unmatched performance on Championship Saturday Brazil) won the expansion series event inside the iconic Rupp Arena Marcilio first put points on the board in Round 1 when he covered Rock Solid’s Cowboy Cartel (Rock Solid Bucking Bulls) for 85 points Marcilio then faced Shakira (Cannon Cattle Co.) as Championship Saturday got underway in Round 2 Marcilio conquered the powerful animal athlete for 88.5 points to win the round and punch his ticket to the final round The steadfast Brazilian then went to work against Hey Bartender (JQH Bucking Bulls/Skip & Elaine Jones) in the championship round Marcilio delivered another round-winning 88.5-point score to clinch the event victory Marcilio garnered a crucial 148.5 Velocity Global points At the PBR ZipRecruiter Classic at Moda Center in Portland Nebraska) secured the third Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour event win of his career one of only three men to successfully go 2-for-2 in Oregon was paired with Buckeye (Howell Rodeo Company Inc./ Cow Punch Productions firing out of the chutes for an impressive 86 points the 20-year-old Nebraska cowboy was able to confidently match Longmire (Wentz Bucking Bulls) jump-for-jump for 89 points Halverson left Portland with 114 Velocity Global points The PBR Unleash The Beast next travels to Allstate Arena in Chicago for the PBR Tractor Supply Co 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. Click here for on-demand PBR programming Foreign News ReporterPublished: Invalid Date THIS is the shocking moment a drunken Playboy model lands a vicious kick at a cop's groin during a petrol station brawl kick the policeman following a drunken bust up outside a petrol station convenience store in Brazil The glamour model is escorted outside by cops in Campinas Sao Paulo after the fit of rage and led away in handcuffs Leme is then forced into the police van during arrest and the officer squats down to relieve his agonising pain after eventually bundling her into the boot This came after the store called the cops after Leme alleged she threatened staff on a July 2023 night Workers accused her of swigging beer as she pulled up in her Jeep Renegade She allegedly called one petrol pump attendant a "fat mango", local slang for a hunk, and urged an officer to "eat him" after being dissatisfied with the bar's service, according to local reports. Leme ordered a snack after drinking three beers but didn't like it, allegedly throwing it onto the counter before she demanded another. Staff claim she refused to pay, prompting a cashier to follow her outside where Leme would hurl the abuse at her and the cops they called shortly after. she allegedly kicked one of the officers in the arm who said she had only acted in self-defence She was sentenced to 15 months behind bars by judges but senior judge Chaiane Maria Bublitz Korte gave permission for her defence team to appeal the verdict to a higher court Leme was subsequently released after paying her £192 bail Her lawyer Caroliny Chang Rodrigues said: "Considering the complete absence of robust evidence that demonstrates the crimes she is accused of the defence will seek the acquittal of Ana Paula in a higher court "The conviction cannot be legally sustained." The model is a regular star on local reality TV shows and has nearly 200,000 followers on Instagram Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/ Texas -- Jose Vitor Leme sits on a bench next to his house wearing impeccably creased jeans Dressed every bit the part of the man who could be the greatest bull rider in PBR history -- including that big gold "2021 world champion" belt buckle -- he looks out over his own full-size soccer field nodding to a past life that still plays an important part in his drive to become a sports legend Seven years ago Leme was an aspiring professional soccer player getting impatient with his career progress He was playing at the semi-pro level in his home country of Brazil and now he is looking to make history heading into the final five rounds at the Professional Bull Riders World Finals in Fort Worth from Thursday to Sunday where he could become the first rider in history to win three straight world championships 139-pound dynamo -- an electric performer and a dynamic athlete who grew up on soccer fields and fighting in competitive karate tournaments rather than working on a ranch winning 40% of the events he entered while setting or tying five of the PBR's major records drawing comparisons to elite competitors in other sports "I think he is our Neymar," said fellow Brazilian bull rider Paolo Crimber comparing him to the soccer star who ranks second only to the legendary Pele in scoring history for the Brazilian national team the 2005 and 2007 PBR world champion and the lead analyst for the sport's broadcasts on CBS Sports Network "He's willing to go through the grind to achieve what nobody ever has," McBride said You have great athletes everywhere you look but it's only so often that somebody comes along that can become bigger than that sport All it took was a leap of faith in coming to the United States a colony of Brazilians in North Texas who helped him -- and a spiritual connection with a bull named Woopaa who teamed with Leme to claim the sport's most prestigious record WHEN LEME WAS growing up in Ribas do Rio Prado a town of about 25,000 in the southern part of Brazil his father Antonio rode bulls and raised livestock a common practice in a country with more than 252 million head of cattle according to the United States Department of Agriculture But after his father and mother Silvia divorced when he was 13 He had been on cows as a child before his parents' split and bull riding was still one of his favorite things to watch after becoming disillusioned with the progress of his soccer career he took some friends up on an offer to get into a bull ring deciding one ride was all it took for him to make up his mind Brazilian bull riders are as accomplished in their field as the country's soccer stars In the 28 years since the PBR was launched seven different Brazilians have won 12 world championship belt buckles "In our sport, grit is a prerequisite, and these [Brazilian] guys have a lot of it," Ty Murray, one of the greatest all-around rodeo cowboys in history and one of the founders of the PBR tour, said in 2013 he didn't have to wait long for his star turn Over a year and a half following that first trip on a bull Brazil Finals title and was named the country's Rookie of the Year becoming the first rider to win the country's triple crown He was invited on his first trip to the United States for the 2017 PBR World Finals landing in Las Vegas without knowing anyone in the country and unable to even read the airport signs But he proceeded to go 6-for-6 on rides without getting bucked off won the event title and finished seventh in the world in the overall point standings for the season winning four of the 13 events he entered that year but had earned more points over the course of a full season Leme was named the 2017 PBR Rookie of the Year all while sending a message across the sport that a new contender had arrived Jose Vitor Leme arrived in Las Vegas and never looked back.Coming in at No. 8 in our top ten moments of 2017 is the Brazilian sensation who went a perfect 6-for-6 at the PBR World Finals to capture the event title and Rookie of the Year honors. pic.twitter.com/mLAv8FeQgG Leme earned $417,800 in prize money for his 10 days of work He informed his family he was staying in the United States and wouldn't return until he became the world champion I didn't know anything about America," Leme said But setting out in an individual sport in a foreign country can be daunting and it can be overwhelming trying to find a home base But that's another way the Brazilians stand out CRIMBER MET LEME when he first arrived in Las Vegas and invited him to his home in Decatur a town of about 7,000 people 40 miles northwest of Fort Worth I pick them up and they come to the house for a month or two," he said He and his wife Maria have been in Decatur for 20 years Their hospitality has turned this small town into the home base for more than 30 Brazilian bull riders Crimber retired from professional bull riding in 2011 including breaking his neck twice in a four-month span in 2008 picked up while learning English from other rodeo cowboys on tour community touchstone and the connector who helps the surrogate family members "One thing we have maybe that sets us apart from everybody else we always stay together from the beginning," Crimber said Leme finished second in the world in 2018 and 2019 and won the world title in 2020 and 2021 while also rewriting the sport's record books The $5.27 million he has earned in his career on the PBR tour -- already fourth-highest all-time -- allowed him to buy his own ranch that has become the center of the bull riders' social scene 30 of them play in soccer matches on Leme's field and cook churrasco but Leme also believes they're a secret weapon in his training "That's why I have my soccer field," Leme said "Soccer helps a lot not only physically but mentally too You have to make quick decisions playing soccer I feel way better and ready to go because it helps my focus and my body too." Jose Vitor Leme's soccer pitch in Decatur has turned into a home base for Brazilian rodeo hopefuls and their families. Photo Credit: Andre SilvaThey're all back on Wednesdays to practice riding in Leme's bucking bull arena It's a competitive advantage that other riders don't often have who has a 1-year-old son named Theodoro with his wife Amanda also credits the camaraderie for support that allowed him to adapt to the abrupt life change "It was hard when we came here and left our family We had to start a new family because if you don't do that the extended family is producing its own stars Crimber's son John claimed the Texas state bull-riding title and was named the Texas High School Rodeo Association's Rookie of the Year Crimber credits much of that to his community That's what you want for your kids just to follow somebody good adding that they all encourage and motivate each other "The fight is not between you and other people," Leme said And one bull -- a world champion himself -- has played a starring role in Leme's career and a rider only earns a score if he hangs on for eight seconds The bull always earns a score (the PBR said judges "look for speed power and drop in the front end; kick in the back end and each gives up to 25 points for the bull and the rider The highest ride score in the history of the PBR was 96.5 points which was set and tied four times between 1997 and 2004 Leme drew a promising bull named Woopaa who had only been entered in five previous events and the two combined for a 95.75-point ride was seen as a different type of "athlete" than his counterparts but imagine a cat and how springy a cat can be but at 1,500 pounds," said Woopaa's trainer and he's 6 years old and weighs 1,500 pounds where riders can draft bulls based on their spot in the point standings and since Leme was dominating the rankings Leme and Woopaa have formed a unique bond that has brought out the best in both. Andy Watson/Bull Stock MediaThere have been iconic bulls in the past like Red Rock the legendary bull rider who died in the ring and was the subject of the 1994 movie "8 Seconds." He said he studies other legendary bulls that were known to be nearly impossible to ride like Bodacious But what sets Woopaa apart is his showmanship including an exceptional leaping ability and bucking power He has earned the three highest-scored bull scores in history There have been some bulls that were tougher for guys to ride But they didn't have that 'wow factor' to them that Woopaa's got." "You couldn't have picked a better rider and a better bull from all of bull-riding history to come together and rise to the top at the same time," Wilson said they come to watch Jose and Woopaa battle it out again." they're even featured on the room key of the world finals' official hotel every guest carrying a photo of them around in their pocket they have shattered the all-time record for a marked ride Leme and Woopaa combined for a 97.75-point ride breaking the record that had stood for 17 years the two teamed up again for a 98.75-point ride including Leme landing the first 50-point rider score in PBR history "That's as close as we've ever seen in the PBR to perfection," McBride said These two cannot be stopped! In a storybook ending, World Champions Jose Vitor Leme and Woopaa break their own record to capture the highest scored ride in PBR history. Go behind the chutes to watch the explosive 98.75-point ride! pic.twitter.com/fT3KebpRVj He makes me look better and I make him look better during the ride before I jump on him I can feel him talking to me or something 'We're going to do something special today.'" "When Jose draws him in the chute Woopaa turns and looks and he recognizes Jose Let's do it a little bigger and better this time.'" The partnership may have set an unbreakable record Given that a bull can only earn a 50-point score if it bucks the rider off there's not much room for improvement in the ride score of 98.75 "I wanna say it's dang near impossible," Wilson said "I think that'll be a record that we may never see broken There are certain bulls that fit certain riders To see a bull and rider match up as good as Jose and Woopaa do is something that we may never see again." Leme jokes about buying Woopaa a pallet of food for making him so much money then looks out between the big metal gates in front of his house that read "WORLD CHAMPION" and his front door then points to a spot in his circle driveway "I'm gonna put a statue of me and Woopaa out front," Leme said they can compete as long as they're capable 2 in the world standings is Brazilian João Ricardo Vieira With so much already accomplished at such a young age greatest-ever status is safely within Leme's reach the greatest bull riders are fellow Brazilians Silvano Alves and Adriano Moraes because they are the only two who won three world titles But he'd be the only one in history to win all three consecutively who missed about one-third of the season with various injuries including setting the record for the most 90-point rides in a season (24) while also earning the first perfect 50-point ride score in PBR history So what exactly makes him a great bull rider "It's a little bit his body type," McBride said So that allows them to have their best day with him." And even if he draws a bull that isn't one of the flashiest Leme is creative about selling it as a performer "He's got an exciting style," McBride said A lot of times it'll make it look like a bull is doing more than what he's actually doing Somebody else can get on and just sit right in the middle of him and not move a whole lot that bull was really doing a lot!' But when you go back and watch it and you break it down This has been Leme's toughest season due to a nagging groin/core muscle injury as well as a concussion he suffered in April after being thrown from a bull with two event wins and five 90-point rides Yet in the first round of the world finals last weekend Leme went 3-for-3 on rides and maintained his hold on fifth place in the season standings 290.66 points behind leader Daylon Swearingen That's easily within reach with five rounds remaining Leme earned 849 points in this same scoring system last year which had just six total rounds to this year's eight He is also in third place in the event standings for the world finals he would tie Robson Palermo for the most world finals won by one rider with three and would become just the second to win the event in back-to-back seasons McBride said there's no chance he's counting out Leme as he aims for history "He is a guy -- and I won't say this about very many of them ever -- that can win every time the gate opens," McBride said "He can clean up some of the technical things -- because technically he's not there yet -- and he still does some things wrong That's what gets him in a jam from time to time That's the scary part for other competitors who has seen Leme's steady determination since he first arrived said the rest of the season doesn't matter when the world championship is on the line he's probably the greatest we've ever seen." Leme marvels at where his hard work has taken him he'll have the résumé to be the greatest bull rider of all time Two-time PBR World Champion Jose Vitor Leme has withdrawn from The American Justin Felisko reports that Jose had x-rays this morning that revealed two broken ribs from last weekend’s PBR event in Fort Worth Because of the injury Leme will be unable to compete in the Semi-Finals short round at The American Leme went 86.25 last night in the second performance of the Semi-Finals but was in visible pain after the ride ended JB Mauney will be taking his spot in the short round on Friday Mauney just missed qualifying for the short round with an 83.50 point ride All content © copyright The Cowboy Channel Do Not Sell My Personal Information Jose Vitor Leme may have missed the first few events of the season but he needed only five to be back in his familiar No Dalton Kasel cannot lose a 15/15 Bucking Battle Cooper Davis returned with thunder and more If you were worried about Jose Vitor Leme starting the season behind the eight ball… don’t be. The two-time World Champion won his third event of the (still very young) season in Sacramento and now leads the field in the 2023 world title race Dalton Kasel also emerged victorious in Sacramento, winning his second 15/15 Bucking Battle of the season. In three 15/15s in 2023 After missing two events due to a rib injury, 2016 World Champion Cooper Davis was back in action and not at all rusty, going 3-for-3 to finish third. Jesse Petri took the early lead in Round 1 on Friday night… …and held on for the round win on Saturday, beating out 58 other riders. The other big news from the dirt lately is that official entertainer Flint Rasmussen is hanging up his cleats after the 2023 PBR World Finals in May. Grayson Cole won Round 1 of the Collision at the Coliseum in North Charleston, South Carolina… …and went 2-for-3 to take the event win. Californian Aaron Williams earned the first Velocity Tour event win of his career in front of a home-state crowd in Bakersfield. Veteran Jared Parsonage kicked off the season with a bang, winning the season-launch PBR Canada Cup Series event in Red Deer, Alberta. Check out the best photos from Sacramento. What’s up next on the docket? In the Touring Pro Division, the PBR Stockyards Showcase continues in Fort Worth, Texas, on Feb. 9 (8:30 p.m. ET on RidePass on Pluto TV) - Reigning PBR (Professional Bull Riders) World Champion Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo Brazil) went 5-for-5 over two days at PBR’s Last Cowboy Standing in Cheyenne Texas) on a night that showcased one of the greatest displays of bull riding in the history of the sport Stars of the PBR put up eight rides of 90 points or more on the second night of the unique progressive-elimination format under the lights at Cheyenne Frontier Days Leme rode three bulls for 90 points or more and extended his world standings lead to 361.5 points over No Brazil).“This is my first major event (win) during the season,” Leme said I got a lot of important points today here My next goal is to be a back-to-back World Champion “I’ve watched every major in PBR and this is the best one I’ve ever seen,” said two-time PBR world Champion Justin McBride “Jose has been nothing short of phenomenal this entire event and he’s handled every one with perfection.” Leme rode Drago (Jeb Fredericks/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger) for 92.25 points He continued his perfect evening atop Young Man’s Blues (Paradigm Bull Co./Jess Lockwood/Parker McCollum) for 90.75 points The Brazilian then made the 8 on Midnight Flyer (Paradigm Bull Company) Leme bested Safety Meeting (Hruby/Kainz/Clay Struve/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger) for 91.25 points.In addition to the 293 world points that the win earned him Leme also collected a check for a total of $113,630.18 for his efforts across the two nights Taking home second place was Texas young gun Campbell Campbell conquered Woopaa (Barker Bulls/Hookin’ W Ranch) for 95.25 points the highest score of the weekend – as well as the second highest of the season – falling only .25 points shy of his previous score aboard the bovine athlete The out also earned Woopaa the title of YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Event awarded for the highest bull score of the event Campbell came down early off of Lil 2 Train (Jane Clark/Gene Owen) but advanced to Round 4 based on his aggregate score where the 2020 PBR World Finals event winner rode Dr X (Universal Rodeo) for 90.5 points to clinch a berth in the final round Campbell gritted out an 81.75-point ride on Mr Winston (Clay Struve/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger) Campbell earned $46,520.71 and 212 world points his second-place finish rocketed him to No After a valiant effort across the two-day event 2012 PRCA World Champion Cody Teel (College Station The Texan cowboy had the crowd on its feet after delivering an exhilarating 94.5-point ride aboard Chiseled (Flinn/D&H Cattle Co.) in Round 2 the second-highest ride score of the night Teel was thrown to the ground at 5.7 seconds by Buckin’ For Cash (Paradigm Bull Company) and then again came down hard in Round 4 against Tarabull (Rockin T Ranch) Teel took home $7,227.81 and 57 world points Texas) closed the gap in his campaign for Rookie of the Year The young Texan earned his career-first 90-point ride aboard Diddy Wa Diddy (Cord McCoy/Bill McCarty) in Round 2 The rookie was unable to defuse Boogie Bomb (Jane Clark/Gene Owen) after being flung to the ground at 5.67 seconds in Round 3 Round 4 was just as disappointing for the young gun as his matchup with Marquis Metal Works Draggin Up (Paradigm Bull Co./Marquis Metal Works) lasted a mere 5.03 seconds 2016 PBR World Champion Cooper Davis (Jasper Texas) rode his Round 1 victory to a fifth-place finish for the event overall Despite being bucked off his Round 2 bull War Dress (Jane Clark/Gene Owen) and Smooth Wreck (Diamond Willow/Clay Struve/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger) in Round 3 the Texas cowboy picked up an $8,000 paycheck and 39 world points The top riders of the PBR will next travel to Tulsa Oklahoma for the PBR Express Ranches Classic presented by PitBoss at the BOK Center July 31 and August 1 Tune to channel 720 for the latest programming schedule Professional Bull Riders - LAST COWBOY STANDINGCheyenne Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Round 4-Round 5-Event Aggregate-Event Points)1 85-92.25-90.75-88.75-91.25-448.00-293 Points.2 84.75-95.25-0-90.5-81.75-352.25-212 Points.3 84.75-0-0-0-0-84.75-12 Points.Kaique Pacheco Monster Energy congratulates Monster Energy rider Jose Vitor Leme on winning the 2021 Professional Bull Riders (PBR) World Finals: Unleash the Beast at T Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday as well as the 2021 PBR World Championship LAS VEGAS, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Way to end a history-making season! Monster Energy congratulates Monster Energy rider Jose Vitor Leme on winning the 2021 Professional Bull Riders (PBR) World Finals: Unleash the Beast at T Mobile Arena in Las Vegas In the season finale of the world's largest bull riding competition series expanded his legacy by becoming the second rider in the 28-year history of the PBR to win back-to-back championships As the exclamation point to a history-making season Leme broke the PBR's record for highest scored ride in the championship round on Sunday by scoring 98.75 points on the world's No After conquering the year's YETI World Champion Bull with the highest-marked ride of all time Leme was crowned the 2021 PBR World Champion and PBR World Finals Event Winner blessed to be riding well and very confident in pursuit of my goals." Jose Vitor Leme In front of a high-energy crowd of more than 13,000 spectators at T Mobile Arena on Sunday Leme received the gold buckle trophy and $1 million bonus I've been doing a lot of good things," said Monster Energy's Leme on winning the 2021 Professional Bull Riders (PBR) World Championship The accomplishment for the 2020 and 2021 PBR World Champion comes at the end of what is being called the greatest season ever for a professional bull rider Leme set the single-season mark for the most 90-point rides in PBR history (24) achieved the most round wins in a season (21) and tied the record with eight Unleash The Beast event wins He had also set a 97.75-point ride-score record on Woopaa in July in Tulsa Leme broke new ground on Sunday by breaking that record for highest score ever in PBR through earning the first perfect 50-point ride in PBR history The Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuit is the world's biggest stage in professional bull riding featuring over 500 bull riders in more than 200 events annually the Unleash the Beast Series (UTB) is the elite series of the Professional Bull Riders with the world's top 35 bull riders After suffering a strained core muscle in September Leme returned to full form for the 2021 PBR World Championship finals and entered as the #1 seeded rider In Round 1 of the 2021 PBR World Finals on Wednesday Leme scored 86.75 points on Little Voodoo Jacket "a lot of good things."     as Leme followed up with an 88 and a second 86.75-point effort These first three round scores placed the Brazilian second in average and a full bull score ahead of his most likely challenger midway through the Finals blessed to be riding well and very confident in pursuit of my goals," said Leme Leme's Las Vegas streak continued in Round 4 on Saturday when he set the PBR's season record for most round wins at 20 victories. He thereby surpassed the 2013 record of 19 wins set by fellow Monster Energy teammate and fellow two-time World Champion J.B. Mauney Leme rode WSM's Jive Turkey for 92.5 points This also marked his record-setting 24th 90-point ride of the season with 48.97% of those qualified rides earning 90 points or more The massive score kept Leme two spots ahead of the only rider with an opportunity to catch him he remained a full bull scores ahead in the average with only two remaining outs for the top two riders in the world Leme then capped off a magical season on Sunday afternoon at T-Mobile Arena with a perfect performance earning 91.25 points in Round 5 on WSM's Jive Turkey He then pushed his record for highest-scoring ride even further: Riding Woopaa the bull on which Leme earned the 2020 championship he clinched 98.75 points in Round 6 for a new record and 544-point aggregate score and 849 total points The score also earned the coveted 2021 Lane Frost/Brent Thurman Award As the Event Winner and PBR World Champion Leme celebrated by hoisting the trophy above his head Leme earned a combined $1,401,800 for his second PBR World Championship and World Finals event win that was awesome," proclaimed two-time champion-turned-broadcaster Justin McBride amazing once-in-a-lifetime talent that we're getting to watch." Leme was initially slated for a career in professional soccer in his native Brazil but already achieved his competitive breakthrough at age 21 when he became the second Brazilian rider to win the PBR Brazil national title He also earned Brazilian Rookie of the Year honors that year Leme began competing in the United States in 2018 and instantly won the PBR Velocity Tour Finals PBR Finals event and became the PBR Rookie of the Year His iconic rise continued by winning the 2020 and 2021 Professional Bull Riders (PBR) World Championship Download photos for editorial use. The final round of the PBR World Finals was broadcast live on CBS Television Network on Sunday. Missed the live broadcast? PBR RidePass on PlutoTV will offer re-airs and on-demand replays of PBR PWVT events. PBR RidePass is available on desktops, laptops, and mobile devices via http://www.pluto.tv About PBR (Professional Bull Riders) PBR is the world's premier bull riding organization More than 500 bull riders compete in more than 200 events annually across the televised PBR Unleash the Beast Tour (UTB) which features the top 35 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 Kimberly Paige Dresser, Indie Agency, Inc., (949) 300-5546, [email protected] Twitter, LinkedIn http://www.monsterenergy.com Do not sell or share my personal information: two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme came back down to earth a little bit in 2022 – The 2023 Unleash The Beast series begins this weekend with the PBR Monster Energy Invitational in Tucson Round 1 from Tucson Arena airs exclusively on RidePass on Pluto TV at 8:45 p.m ET before CBS Sports Network carries all the action on Championship Sunday (4 p.m PBR.com will be counting down the final days leading up to the UTB season opener by looking back at the Top 5 bull riders at the conclusion of the 2022 season 2022 UTB/Team Series Recap: For the first time in four years (2018) two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme did not hold the No Leme was the hunter instead of the hunted for the first time in years His pursuit of a third consecutive world title came up just short in 2022 but he remained in contention all season long despite missing five events because of a core muscle injury and a concussion Leme was still very much in the hunt on the final days of the World Finals until he broke four of his ribs and sustained a collapsed lung when Crossover bucked him off in 6.24 seconds during Round 6 of the PBR World Finals Leme was fourth in the world standings and fourth in the World Finals event average He would have essentially been only one bull ride behind eventual World Champion Daylon Swearingen heading into Championship Sunday at Dickies Arena if he had not been knocked out of the competition could Leme have won a third consecutive World Championship aligning himself closer to the championship-contending pack winning two events and riding 53% of his bulls but it was a vast difference from his historic record-setting and championship-winning season the year before The injuries did not prevent him from being the No Leme (19-for-26) would lead the Austin Gamblers to a 16-12 record and the No 1 seed for the PBR Team Series Championship the Gamblers would shockingly get upset in the second round of the playoffs by the Nashville Stampede as Leme stunningly lost his bull rope at 7.62 seconds aboard Show Me Homie and came crashing down on his ribs Leme would be unable to compete in the Last Chance Game 2023 Outlook: Leme begins his 2023 UTB season in a similar spot to how he ended the 2022 World Finals – attempting to recover from broken ribs He has already been ruled out for the season opener in Tucson has yet to determine a return-to-competition timeline Leme’s ribs have never fully healed since the PBR World Finals in Fort Worth and his injury in Las Vegas during the PBR Team Series finale was at least the third time in six months that he has re-aggravated that original injury The biggest question mark for Leme coming into 2023 is just how much time off he needs to take for the ribs to finally heal including his MVP performance during the PBR Team Series regular season But it has also become clear that if he takes the wrong hit or buckoff Leme should be considered one of the top contenders for the 2023 PBR World Championship You can bet on him being extremely motivated after coming up short of winning a third consecutive gold buckle and then having his Austin Gamblers not even make it to Championship Sunday during the PBR Teams postseason Leme remains in the upper echelon of the sport and is still considered by many to be the No Don’t be surprised if Leme is right in the mix for a third world title on the final day of the 2023 PBR World Finals inside Dickies Arena