Carolina Cowboys, Nashville Stampede continue Monster Energy Team Challenge Jan. 10-11.
By James Youness
FORT WORTH, Texas – We may only be a week and a half into the new year … but there’s a TON of action fluttering throughout the greater PBR universe.
Touring Pro Division competition continues to attract up-and-coming cowboys to Cowtown Coliseum for the weekly PBR Stockyards Showcase.
The Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour is in full swing, with multiple events each weekend set to be hosted around the country over the course of the next four months.
Teams and riders themselves continue to embrace the electric Monster Energy Team Challenge (METC), presented by Camping World, next set to pit the Carolina Cowboys against the Nashville Stampede Friday night inside Allstate Arena.
And, of course, the end-all, be-all, Unleash The Beast circuit continues to welcome the world’s most talented bull riders, each of whom who are chasing down the coveted 2025 PBR World Championship honors.
Riders like No. 1 John Crimber and No. 2 Dalton Kasel stepped right back into the spotlights they were born for, continuing to serve as the tour’s runaway leaders and as the only two riders above the 300-point mark heading into the Week 8 affair.
Veterans like No. 4 Lucas Divino and No. 5 Derek Kolbaba, who have parlayed early-season event victories into successful stretches, are experiencing a second wind as they battle both Father Time and 40-some others of the industry’s best.
Experienced World Champions such as No. 7 Jose Vitor Leme and No. 8 Sage Steele Kimzey have pieced together a couple round wins in order to comfortably protect their Top 10 statuses.
But it’s guys like Vinicius Pinheiro Correa and Hudson Bolton who are busy, grinding away their rookie seasons in an attempt to continue competing on the top-tier tour while making a name for themselves which may serve as some of the most refreshing and inspiring tales.
Bucking into the Windy City is rather appropriate here in Week 8, as riders have continued to whirlwind in and out of the prized sections of the UTB standings.
And while there’s nothing official related to the Top 15 in mid-January, each of those cowboys know the Top 15-ranked riders in early May will automatically have their spots clinched at the 2025 PBR World Finals: Championship, while the rest of the pack will need to duke it out inside Cowtown Coliseum for the right to compete at AT&T Stadium.
Knowing just 254 points separate No. 1 John Crimber from No. 15 Dener Barbosa means this thing is very much still wide open with 16 events remaining before the tour heads to DFW to close things out in Cowboy Country.
2025 PBR Unleash The Beast Standings: 1. John Crimber (383 points) 2. Dalton Kasel (330 points) 3. Julio Cesar Marques (261.33 points) 4. Lucas Divino (253.5 points) 5. Derek Kolbaba (220 points) 6. Sage Steele Kimzey (184.25 points) 7. Jose Vitor Leme (175.5 points) 8. Keyshawn Whitehorse (174 points) 9. Sandro Batista (170.33 points) 10. Kaiden Loud (166.5 points)
Of course, we aren't ruling out any of the pack veterans who have endured a bit of a bumpy start to their respective 2025 slates, either. A cowboy like No. 31 Joao Ricardo Vieira, who's set to attempt his 1,000th premier series bovine Friday night during a rematch dance with Sin City, can very much string a few qualified rides together and skyrocket his way up the standings.
Just like we're keeping an eye on No. 33 Daylon Swearingen, who just turned in a productive 2-for-4 effort last weekend in his home state after taking more than a month off to rest up and recover from an early-season injury.
With the next set of tour cuts right around the corner once again, No. 35 Boudreaux Campbell and riders ranked lower than the Crockett, Texas, native very much NEED a ride or two this weekend. Hell, they could use a podium placement or two if they want to keep pace with Crimber, Kasel and the circuit's top dawgs.
Lineups and draw are in for the eighth of 23 regular season Unleash The Beast showdowns, so we’re taking a closer look at Friday night’s matchups, rematches and everything you need to know ahead of the weekend’s opening slate!
With the premier series circuit traveling from one of the country’s biggest markets right into another big stop in Chicago, Illinois, Jan. 10-11, we’re breaking down starting lineups for competition inside Allstate Arena (With coverage set to begin at 8 p.m. CT via PBR’s YouTube channel and RidePass on Pluto TV).
PBR CHICAGO STARTING LINEUPS Luciano De Castro vs. Pay Dirt Elizmar Jeremias vs. In My Blood Boudreaux Campbell vs. Fajita Alex Marcilio vs. Rump Thumper Rogerio Venancio vs. Nightmare *Brady Fielder vs. DirtyBru Paulo Eduardo Rossetto vs. Smooth Whiskey Andrew Alvidrez vs. Barbarosa Hudson Bolton vs. Grey Fox Jake Morinec vs. Mama’s Boy Claudio Montanha Jr. vs. Rorschach *Manoelito de Souza Junior vs. God Bless America Vinicius Pinheiro Correa vs. Hades Leandro Zampollo vs. Phantom Alex Cerqueira vs. High Country Redemption *Joao Ricardo Vieira vs. Sin City Koltin Hevalow vs. Almost Sober Eduardo Aparecido vs. Lucifer Leonardo Castro vs. Eyes On Me Kaique Pacheco vs. Hoobastank Clay Guiton vs. Country Club Dener Barbosa vs. Candy Cane *Mason Taylor vs. Black Panther Mauricio Gulla Moreira vs. Frankie the Fish Cort McFadden vs. Mouse Trap Keyshawn Whitehorse vs. Creedmore Precision Jose Vitor Leme vs. Fifth Avenue Sandro Batista vs. Chute Boss *Lucas Divino vs. Hector Julio Cesar Marques vs. The Mule Dalton Kasel vs. Roll the Dice *John Crimber vs. Gunsmoke Andrei Scoparo vs. Smoke Show (METC) Anderson de Oliveira vs. Jerry’ Special (METC) Ethan Winckler vs. Project X (METC) Austin Richardson vs. Chuck (METC) Adriano Salgado vs. Clash (METC) Briggs Madsen vs. Full Gangster (METC) Dawson Branton vs. Bucking Bill (METC) Alan de Souza vs. Black Pearl (METC) Daylon Swearingen vs. High Tide (METC) Cody Jesus vs. Sneaky Situation (METC) Derek Kolbaba vs. Cadillac Frank (METC) Kaiden Loud vs. Coal Train (METC) *Denotes Rematch (METC) = Monster Energy Team Challenge matchup
REMATCHES Brady Fielder vs. DirtyBru (3.7 seconds in Albany, New York) Joao Ricardo Vieira vs. Sin City (82.5 points in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) John Crimber vs. Gunsmoke (87.5 points in Greensboro, North Carolina) Lucas Divino vs. Hector (2.5 seconds in Manchester, New Hampshire) Manoelito de Souza Junior vs. God Bless America (6.54 seconds in Fort Worth, Texas) Mason Taylor vs. Black Panther (88.5 points in Bismarck, North Dakota)
OUT DUE TO INJURY/OTHER Cassio Dias (injury) Daniel Keeping (injury) Thiago Salgado (injury) Tanner Eno (illness) Sage Steele Kimzey (injury) Vitor Losnake (injury) Eduardo Matos (injury) Ky Hamilton (injury)
FOLLOW ALONG This weekend’s PBR Chicago showcase in Chicago, Illinois, is set to begin Friday, Jan. 10 at 7:45 p.m. CT as the best bull riders in the world prepare to put on a show inside Allstate Arena.
Competition is set to conclude Saturday, Jan. 11 at 7:45 p.m. CT with Round 2, followed by the short go as riders look to put the finishing touches on their weekends throughout Championship Saturday.
All three rounds of action in Chicago will be available LIVE and FREE on RidePass on Pluto TV, PBR’s YouTube channel, PBR’s mobile app, PBR’s app on connected TVs, including Apple TV, Fire TV, Roku, and Google TV, as well as on your favorite web browser at watch.pbr.com. The stream for PBR Chicago begins on Friday, Jan. 10, at 8 p.m. CT.
Fans can keep an eye on PBR.com and @PBR social media channels for the latest news, scores, wrecks and more!
