Starting lineups, draw revealed for PBR Little Rock
Kansas City Outlaws, Missouri Thunder set to close out Show Me State Showdown March 8.
By James Youness
FORT WORTH, Texas – While Unleash The Beast is slated to endure two days of bull riding in Little Rock, Arkansas, this weekend, there couldn’t be anything BIGGER on the minds of the world’s best bull riders:
Their next opportunity to climb the world championship-deciding standings as the sixteenth of 24 regular season events prepares to pit 42 of the industry’s top cowboys against one another.
With plenty of storylines brewing ahead of the southern showdown, it’s hard not to start the discussion with No. 1 Brady Fielder, who’s bringing a six-out ride streak into this weekend’s PBR Little Rock, now perfect in each of his past two events.
As one of five different cowboys to produce flawless feats in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Fielder was forced to settle for a fourth-place finish.
But with the likes of Sage Steele Kimzey, Andrew Alvidrez and company heating up (the circuit’s last two event champions), he can’t be upset about maintaining a 127.25-point advantage atop the charts as he continues to do his job.
With Kimzey edging out Alvidrez by a mere quarter of a point (.25) inside Fiserv Forum, it’s clear the seven-time PRCA champ isn’t settling for another Top 10 finish during his second stint of premier series competition.
Having worked his way up to the No. 2 spot courtesy of last weekend’s big win, the veteran has a chance to keep his groove going Saturday during a showdown with That’ll Play, while Fielder looks to advance his ride streak to seven in his matchup with Bittersweet.
Potentially just as electric, if not entertaining, lately, is a trio of Brazilians who are making the most of their mid-season success, including guys like Kaique Pacheco, Felipe Furlan and Claudio Montanha Jr.
In fairness, Montanha has been making some waves most of the season. But after turning in his fifth Top 10 of the season in Milwaukee, a seventh-place effort, it’s hard not to keep an eye on the trending 35-year-old.
Furlan, however, has only drawn into eight premier series meet-ups this season. Grinding his way up to the No. 25 rank courtesy of a flashy third-place effort last time out, the 23-year-old has now successfully rode at least one bull in each of his eight appearances.
Earning three Top 10 finishes during said limited time in the starting lineup, he’s not slowing down for anybody as he looks to punch a ticket to what would be his first-ever PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast – Championship appearance inside AT&T Stadium in a mere two months.
It’s the 2018 World Champion in Pacheco which we chose to feature during this week’s feature spotlight, though, as the “Ice Man” has been on fire here lately.
Specifically in the opening round.
Owning consecutive Round 1 wins as he continues to improve on his No. 8 rank, will the veteran be able to stay hot early during a dance with Flash Gordon Saturday?
With Jose Vitor Leme, Hudson Bolton and Derek Kolbaba representing the tour’s three athletes sitting out due to some bumps and bruises, fans inside Simmons Bank Arena will get to see a majority of the top-ranked cowboys in action – something always worth celebrating!
Ramon de Lima and Joao Lucas Campos will get an opportunity to shine beneath the brightest lights in the business Saturday as well after accepting invites for their respective Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour wins in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and Norfolk, Virginia.
Of course, the final 12 outs of the opening round will host the finale between Missouri’s pair of PBR Camping World Team Series contingents, as the Kansas City Outlaws and Missouri Thunder are set to close out their Monster Energy Team Challenge, presented by Camping World, showcase Saturday night.
Knowing the Thunder have technically already claimed the best-of-three series by securing wins in Sacramento, California, and Indianapolis, Indiana earlier this season, we can only assume Head Coach Ross Coleman will have his guys ready to ride once more.
After all, that locker room would love a clean 3-0 sweep after seeing the Outlaws serve as the rivalry’s “big brother” throughout the first three seasons of camaraderie-driven action. And with the team’s captain in Alvidrez HEATING UP lately, most recently procuring a tour-season-high 94-pointer atop Man Hater last weekend, it’s safe to say the Thunder may have some momentum on their side.
Lineups and draw are in for the sixteenth of 23 regular season Unleash The Beast showdowns, so we’re taking a closer look at Saturday night’s matchups, rematches and everything you need to know ahead of the weekend’s opening slate!
With the premier series primed to invade North Little Rock, Arkansas, March 8-9, we’re breaking down starting lineups for competition inside Simmons Bank Arena (With coverage set to begin at 8 p.m. CT via PBR’s YouTube channel and Ride Pass on Pluto TV).
PBR LITTLE ROCK STARTING LINEUPS Bob Mitchell vs. Rock ‘n Roll Cort McFadden vs. Ridgeback Leonardo Castro vs. Mike Honcho Eduardo Aparecido vs. Big Lean Wyatt Rogers vs. The Kraken Lucas Martins Costa vs. Mr. Vaquero Dener Barbosa vs. Hoka Hey Kaique Pacheco vs. Flash Gordon Daylon Swearingen vs. Peanut Ramon de Lima vs. Bad Bad Bull Elizmar Jeremias vs. Big Choppa Bruno Carvalho vs. Seismograph *Joao Ricardo Vieira vs. Rowdy Anderson de Oliveira vs. Seth Wadley’s No Bull Adriano Salgado vs. Mystified Austin Richardson vs. Tchoupitoulas Leandro Zampollo vs. Margin of Error Kaiden Loud vs. Sorrel’s Pick Clay Guiton vs. I’m Legit Too Daniel Keeping vs. Jersey Tuff *Claudio Montanha Jr. vs. Hunter Joao Lucas Campos vs. Brass Monkey Alan de Souza vs. Sonny B *Keyshawn Whitehorse vs. Casper *Luciano De Castro vs. Norse God Lucas Divino vs. Outcast Dalton Kasel vs. Gold Buckle John Crimber vs. Air Marshall Sage Steele Kimzey vs. That’ll Play Brady Fielder vs. Bittersweet Paulo Eduardo Rossetto vs. Heavy Load (METC) Sandro Batista vs. Chico (METC) Boudreaux Campbell vs. Cutter (METC) *Koltin Hevalow vs. Hang ‘em High (METC) Casey Roberts vs. Warlock (METC) *Grayson Cole vs. Crazy Times (METC) Trace Redd vs. Satans Love (METC) Maikon Calixton Rocha cs. El Chapo (METC) Felipe Furlan vs. Pixie (METC) Carlos Andre de Oliveira vs. Walk Hard (METC) Andrew Alvidrez vs. Interstate Daydream(METC) Julio Cesar Marques vs. Rip (METC) *Denotes Rematch (METC) = Monster Energy Team Challenge matchup
REMATCHES Claudio Montanha Jr. vs. Hunter (3.71 seconds in Fort Worth, Texas) Grayson Cole vs. Crazy Times (3.97 seconds in Glendale, Arizona) Joao Ricardo Vieira vs. Rowdy (84.5 points in Kansas City, Missouri) Keyshawn Whitehorse vs. Casper (3.1 seconds in Arlington, Texas; 4.0 seconds in Cheyenne, Wyoming; 4.61 seconds in Fort Worth, Texas) Koltin Hevalow vs. Hang ‘em High (3.79 seconds in Fort Worth, Texas) Luciano De Castro vs. Norse God (3.3 seconds in Los Angeles, California)
OUT DUE TO INJURY/OTHER Jose Vitor Leme (injury) Derek Kolbaba (injury) Hudson Bolton (injury)
FOLLOW ALONG This weekend’s PBR Little Rock in Little Rock, Arkansas, is set to begin Saturday, March 8 at 7:45 p.m. CT as the best bull riders in the world prepare to put on a show inside Simmons Bank Arena.
Competition will conclude Sunday, March 9 at 1:45 p.m. CT with Round 2, followed by the short go, as riders look to put the finishing touches on the two-day showcase.
All three rounds of action in North Little Rock will be available LIVE and FREE via 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 Little Rock begins Saturday, March 8 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!
Photo courtesy of Jadrian Cardenas/Bull Stock Media
