FORT WORTH, Texas – Things just have a funny way of working themselves out, sometimes.

Just ask now three-time PBR World Champion Jose Vitor Leme, who was ranked as low as No. 31 during a late-season showdown in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after missing a good chunk of the season due to injury.

Of course, we know the Brazilian standout went on to complete his epic comeback inside AT&T Stadium, eventually raising the Jerome Robinson Cup in front of tens of thousands of fans inside the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.

However, once Leme received his flowers (not to mention a few Monster Energy drinks, a year of free Michelob ULTRA and several big checks) and posed for quite a few photo opportunities next to the grandest trophy in Western sports, he was suddenly sharing the stage with a member of his summer series’ rival Texas Rattlers.

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And while Leme’s Austin Gamblers have plenty to defend this summer coming off their 2024 PBR Teams Championship victory inside T-Mobile Arena last fall, the two stars put their differences aside to embrace one of the sport’s dearest honors:

The Brent Thurman/Lane Frost Award.

Presented to the rider with the highest-scored ride within the PBR World Finals, the accolade honors the bravery and skill of bull riders while paying tribute to a pair of respected cowboys in Brent Thurman and Lane Frost, who made significant contributions to the sport before tragically losing their lives during bull riding accidents.

Locked in like none other, the man they call “Champ” was the first of the two to strike.

Opting into a dance with Walk Hard via the final bull draft of the 2025 Unleash The Beast season, Leme stepped up to plate and … well, called his shot.

“I love this right here – He didn’t back down the whole way. You talk about the Babe Ruth of our sport: He pointed at the fence and kept swinging at it,” TV analyst Cord McCoy said on Championship Sunday.

“He didn’t pick an easy one in the round – He went for another round win and he proved why he earned that gold buckle right there in those eight seconds.”

After setting the bar for quite literally almost the entire World Finals tour itself, the world’s most talented cowboy set the bar once more in Round 4, courtesy of an epic 91-point flash.

Eventually carried off the dirt by his friends and competitors alike, the celebrations had begun.

Yet when it came time to take a bow, the living legend reminded fans there’s still more work to be done.

“No, I’m still far away from that,” Leme said with a laugh when asked whether he believes he’s the greatest bull rider to ever do it.

“I’m not retired yet. I still have a long way to go and a lot of things to do and I hope I can keep winning. I want to thank God for all of these blessings in my life.”

With the world title race out of the way, down to just Leme and Dalton Kasel at the time, Fielder was able to put the hectic scenario out of sight and get back to having fun riding bulls.

Needing quite the dance to make some noise while creating some momentum for the quickly approaching PBR Camping World Team Series, he nodded his head atop Magic Hunter, a bull he’d enjoyed some quality trips on before.

Advancing to 4-for-5 all-time against said animal athlete, Fielder went the distance, scored a matching 91 points, thus marking the third time he’d bested the bovine for more than 90 points.

“That’s the Brady Fielder that put him No. 1 in the world for a lot of this season,” McCoy shared on the World Finals broadcast moments after witnessing the rank ride.

“Brady Fielder – One of the best bull riders in the world.”

For a guy who had completed one of just two conversions throughout his eight attempts at World Finals, he wasn’t all that excited about his end-game No. 3 placement.

At the same time, he had to be thankful for the run and all that he represented as both an Aussie and up-and-coming superstar the same.

“I’m thankful for a great season,” Fielder said atop the stage as he accepted his award.

“It’s been a heck of a journey and I’m grateful to finish the World Finals off with a good score and I’m looking forward to next season.”

Of course, neither of this year’s recipients are new to the spotlight, by any means.

Leme has three gold buckles. Both are PBR Teams Champions.

Leme has also two PBR Teams MVP honors to his name from the 2022 and 2023 seasons, respectively, while Fielder was just crowned the first-ever Great 8 Award-winner in 2024 as the tour’s most efficient cowboy.

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So, fans shouldn’t be shocked to see either of the cowboys continue to make waves this summer within the 5-on-5 landscape.

With the Brent Thurman/Lane Frost Award established in 1996, the honors have been awarded every year since.

The entire list of all-time Brent Thurman/Lane Frost Award recipients is below:

1996: Adriano Moraes
1997: Troy Dunn
1998: Cody Custer
1999: Chris Shivers/Terry Don West
2000: Ednei Caminhas
2001: Chris Shivers
2002: Cory McFadden
2003: Jody Newberry
2004: United States Michael Gaffney/Mike Lee
2005: Cody Whitney
2006: Dustin Hall/Adriano Moraes
2007: J.B. Mauney
2008: J.B. Mauney
2009: J.B. Mauney
2010: Brazil Valdiron de Oliveira
2011: Robson Palermo
2012: Austin Meier/Chris Shivers
2013: J.B. Mauney
2014: J.B. Mauney
2015: J.B. Mauney
2016: Cooper Davis
2017: Jose Vitor Leme
2018: Marco Eguchi
2019: Rubens Barbosa
2020: Jose Vitor Leme
2021: Jose Vitor Leme
2022: Mauricio Moreira
2023: Andrew Alvidrez
2024: John Crimber
2025: Brady Fielder/Jose Vitor Leme

Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media