PITTSBURGH – Cort McFadden (Novice, Texas) was victorious Friday night at PPG Paints Arena, winning Round 1 of the U.S. Border Patrol PBR Pittsburgh presented by Ariat, the ninth stop of the 2026 Unleash The Beast (UTB) schedule.
After drawing a re-ride during the first out of the night, McFadden was in control the entire way throughout his second opportunity. The 21-year-old rider scored a career-high 90.6 points aboard The Player en route to earning his first round win of the season.
“I’ve gotten so many re-rides recently, but all you can do is stay positive, so that’s what I did,” said Cort McFadden on the Paramount+ telecast.
McFadden earned 29 UTB points to improve from No. 15 to No. 13 ahead of Saturday night’s second round.
The premier series pack was excited to get the show started inside a spirited, sold-out PPG Paints Arena Friday, as three of the first six riders made the 8 for 88-plus-point scores.
Felipe Furlan (Sales Oliveira, Brazil) recorded his first qualified ride of the season as the first cowboy to convert in Round 1. Going the distance atop Eyes On Me during the third out of the night, the Brazilian set the bar high en route to scoring 89.25 points.
In the next out, 2024 World Champion Cassio Dias (São F. de Sales, Brazil) matched Hoobastank’s every move to earn a season-high 89.20-point mark. Dias took home 17 UTB points for his third-place finish and is now No. 16 in the championship race.
Three-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) returned to the chutes Friday night after missing last week’s competition in Salt Lake City. The living legend bested Constant Payne for 88.65 points and is fourth on the leaderboard. Leme sits at No. 30 in the world standings.
Leandro Zampollo (Pirassununga, Brazil) rounded out the Top 5 as the third rider to record a score north of 88 points during the opening section. Zampollo rode Rockville for 88.45 points to earn fifth-place honors on night one. He is No. 12 in the standings.
Friday night’s opening round featured the most recent installment of the Monster Energy Team Challenge (METC), an extension of the PBR Teams league that brings head-to-head, team vs. team bull riding games to the sport’s elite individual tour.
Alex Cerqueira (Iguatemi, Brazil) recorded an 86.65-point conversion atop Back in Black to help his Florida Freedom defeat the Nashville Stampede, 86.65-0. Both the Freedom and Stampede are now 1-1 within 2026 METC competition.
No. 1 John Crimber (Decatur, Texas) was dispatched from his opening round opponent Mystified in 3.01 seconds but stays on top of the championship hunt as Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas) bucked off Flapjack in 7.76 seconds.
In the second game of 4-on-4 action, the Austin Gamblers beat the Arizona Ridge Riders 170.45-86.40. Austin advanced to 3-0 on the season, while Arizona fell to 0-3.
Advancing to a perfect 5-for-5 aboard Mike’s Motive, No. 5 Sage Steele Kimzey (Strong City, Oklahoma) recorded an 88.35-point conversion before being roughed up by Mike’s Motive to give the Austin Gamblers an early lead in Game 2.
The seven-time PRCA World Champion now sits atop the METC MVP standings as the only rider with a 3-for-3 record.
Kimzey teamed up with fellow veteran 2018 World Champion Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil), who recorded an 82.10-point ride aboard Night Fury.
Action for the U.S. Border Patrol PBR Pittsburgh presented by Ariat will continue with Round 2 immediately followed by the championship round on Saturday, Feb. 14, at 7:45 p.m. ET, with the event’s coverage set to begin on Paramount+ at 8 p.m. ET.
Both days of competition in Pittsburgh are available on Paramount+. This weekend’s Monster Energy Team Challenge games will air Sunday, Feb. 15 at Noon ET on CBS Television Network.
Unleash The Beast – U.S. Border Patrol PBR Pittsburgh presented by Ariat
PPG Paints Arena – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Cort McFadden, 90.6-0-0-90.60-29 Points.
2. Felipe Furlan, 89.25-0-0-89.25-18 Points.
3. Cassio Dias, 89.2-0-0-89.20-17 Points.
4. Jose Vitor Leme, 88.65-0-0-88.65-16 Points.
5. Leandro Zampollo, 88.45-0-0-88.45-15 Points.
6. Sage Steele Kimzey, 88.35-0-0-88.35-14 Points.
7. Jess Lockwood, 87.75-0-0-87.75-13 Points.
8. Brady Fielder, 87.45-0-0-87.45-12 Points.
9. Alex Cerqueira, 86.65-0-0-86.65-11 Points.
10. Luciano De Castro, 86.4-0-0-86.40-10 Points.
11. Ezekiel Mitchell, 85.7-0-0-85.70-9 Points.
12. Julio Cesar Marques, 83.8-0-0-83.80-8 Points.
13. Kase Hitt, 83.2-0-0-83.20-8 Points.
14. Daniel Keeping, 82.3-0-0-82.30-8 Points.
15. Kaique Pacheco, 82.1-0-0-82.10-8 Points.
Dalton Kasel, 0-0-0-0.00
John Crimber, 0-0-0-0.00
Paulo Eduardo Rossetto, 0-0-0-0.00
Marco Rizzo, 0-0-0-0.00
Kaiden Loud, 0-0-0-0.00
Callum Miller, 0-0-0-0.00
Koltin Hevalow, 0-0-0-0.00
Keyshawn Whitehorse, 0-0-0-0.00
Thiago Salgado, 0-0-0-0.00
Eduardo Aparecido, 0-0-0-0.00
Daylon Swearingen, 0-0-0-0.00
Afonso Quintino, 0-0-0-0.00
Claudio Montanha Jr., 0-0-0-0.00
Alan de Souza, 0-0-0-0.00
Andrew Alvidrez, 0-0-0-0.00
Bob Mitchell, 0-0-0-0.00
Hudson Bolton, 0-0-0-0.00
Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 0-0-0-0.00
João Ricardo Vieira, 0-0-0-0.00
Cleber Henrique Marques, 0-0-0-0.00
Alison dos Santos, 0-0-0-0.00
Bruno Carvalho, 0-0-0-0.00
Alex Junior da Silva, 0-0-0-0.00
Grayson Cole, 0-0-0-0.00
Wyatt Rogers, 0-0-0-0.00
Elijah Jennings, 0-0-0-0.00
Austin Richardson, 0-0-0-0.00
Caic Cassio Carvalho, 0-0-0-0.00
2026 Professional Bull Riders Unleash The Beast Standings
(Place, Rider, Events, Wins, Top 5's, Points, Total Winnings)
1. John Crimber, 9, 1, 3, 444.00, $89,683.33
2. Dalton Kasel, 8, 2, 4, 422.00, $119,323.33
3. Clay Guiton, 8, 0, 4, 409.50, $89,715.48
4. Paulo Eduardo Rossetto, 9, 1, 4, 341.00, $82,805.00
5. Sage Steele Kimzey, 8, 1, 2, 333.00, $69,257.14
6. Julio Cesar Marques, 8, 0, 3, 320.00, $66,605.48
7. Brady Fielder, 9, 1, 2, 277.00, $71,700.00
8. Marco Rizzo, 9, 1, 2, 268.00, $80,040.00
9. Alex Cerqueira, 9, 0, 2, 231.50, $38,683.33
10. Kaiden Loud, 9, 0, 2, 230.00, $34,980.00
11. Jess Lockwood, 5, 1, 1, 214.00, $63,375.00
12. Leandro Zampollo, 8, 0, 2, 194.00, $25,097.14
13. Cort McFadden, 6, 0, 1, 191.00, $14,440.48
14. Callum Miller, 8, 0, 2, 179.00, $21,847.14
15. Koltin Hevalow, 9, 0, 1, 176.50, $33,583.33
16. Cassio Dias, 9, 0, 0, 154.00, $3,400.00
17. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 9, 0, 0, 141.00, $10,950.00
18. Bruno Carvalho, 4, 0, 0, 135.50, $1,150.00
19. Thiago Salgado, 8, 0, 0, 125.50, $19,300.00
20. Eduardo Aparecido, 9, 0, 1, 119.00, $26,590.00
21. Daylon Swearingen, 7, 0, 0, 116.50, $14,450.00
22. Daniel Keeping, 8, 0, 0, 115.50, $15,250.00
23. Lucas Divino, 7, 0, 1, 114.00, $11,650.00
24. Afonso Quintino, 9, 0, 0, 112.00, $8,257.14
25. Alan de Souza, 8, 0, 0, 108.00, $9,300.00
26. Maverick Smith, 8, 0, 1, 106.50, $14,225.00
27. Kade Madsen, 5, 0, 0, 106.00, $3,150.00
28. Claudio Montanha Jr., 9, 0, 1, 105.00, $12,550.00
29. Kaique Pacheco, 9, 0, 0, 104.50, $7,475.00
30. Jose Vitor Leme, 6, 0, 0, 98.50, $13,100.00
31. Andrew Alvidrez, 9, 0, 0, 96.00, $13,100.00
32. Manoelito de Souza Junior, 4, 0, 1, 95.00, $15,850.00
33. Bob Mitchell, 6, 0, 0, 78.00, $13,450.00
34. Hudson Bolton, 7, 0, 0, 77.00, $9,000.00
35. Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 9, 0, 0, 74.00, $8,700.00
36. Luciano De Castro, 7, 0, 0, 59.00, $3,500.00
37. Alison dos Santos, 5, 0, 0, 54.00, $3,650.00
38. João Ricardo Vieira, 6, 0, 0, 42.00, $2,650.00
39. Cleber Henrique Marques, 9, 0, 0, 38.50, $7,683.33
40. Heitor Santos Ferreira, 4, 0, 0, 29.50, $3,500.00
41. Alex Junior da Silva, 3, 0, 0, 29.00, $900.00
42. Wyatt Rogers, 5, 0, 0, 27.00, $1,200.00
43. Kase Hitt, 6, 0, 0, 26.00, $1,450.00
44. Andy Guzman, 4, 0, 0, 22.00, $2,600.00
45. João Lucas Campos, 2, 0, 0, 21.00, $4,333.33
Monster Energy Team Challenge Games
Game 1 — Pittsburgh — February 13, 2026
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
F |
|
Florida Freedom |
0 |
0 |
86.65 |
0 |
86.65 |
|
Nashville Stampede |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
*Denotes a RR attempt.
^Denotes a declined RR.
OUTS
Florida Freedom — John Crimber bucked off Mystified in 3.01 seconds, Joao Ricardo Vieira touched Ice Tray at 2.29 seconds, Alex Cerqueira rode Back in Black for 86.65 points, Thiago Salgado bucked off Let Him Fly in 4.35 seconds
Nashville Stampede — Alan de Souza bucked off DirtyBru in 4.31 seconds, Austin Richardson bucked off Top Dollar at 2.30 seconds, Cleber Henrique Marques bucked off Old Testament in 4.54 seconds, Kaiden Loud bucked off Splash Tide in 2.51 seconds
Florida Freedom
1-for-4 (86.65 points)
Nashville Stampede
0-for-4 (0 points)
High Score: Alex Cerqueira 86.65 points on Back in Black
Game 2 — Pittsburgh — February 13, 2026
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
F |
|
Austin Gamblers |
88.35 |
82.10 |
0 |
0 |
170.45 |
|
Arizona Ridge Riders |
0 |
0 |
86.40* |
0 |
86.40 |
*Denotes a RR attempt.
^Denotes a declined RR.
OUTS
Austin Gamblers — Sage Steele Kimzey rode Mike’s Motive for 88.35 points, Kaique Pacheco rode Night Fury for 82.10 points, Callum Miller bucked off Punchy Pete in 3.82 seconds, Dalton Kasel bucked off Flapjack in 7.76 seconds
Arizona Ridge Riders — Bruno Carvalho bucked off Purple Rain in 7.73 seconds, Eduardo Aparecido bucked off Nobody in 3.88 seconds, Luciano De Castro accepted a re-ride against Chosen – Luciano De Castro rode Night Agent for 86.40 points, Keyshawn Whitehorse bucked off Sober Child in 2.05 seconds
Austin Gamblers
2-for-4 (170.45 points)
Arizona Ridge Riders
1-for-4 (86.40 points)
High Score: Sage Steele Kimzey 88.35 points on Mike’s Motive
Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media