Kubota PBR Little Rock: The 2026 PBR Unleash The Beast season bucks into Little Rock, Arkansas, for the 12th premier series event of the year inside Simmons Bank Arena. Marking the tour’s 12th visit to Little Rock, Kubota PBR Little Rock arrives at a pivotal moment in the season as riders battle for critical points before another round of cuts following the weekend.
Competition begins Friday, March 6, at 6:45 p.m. CT with Round 1 and concludes Saturday, March 7, at 6:45 p.m. CT with Round 2 and the Championship Round. All rounds will stream live on Paramount+.
PLAYING ABOVE THE LINE
The UTB field arrives in Little Rock with the pressure of another looming cut. Following roster trims in New York (Jan. 9–11), Tampa (Jan. 23–24), Salt Lake City (Feb. 6–7) and Jacksonville (Feb. 20–21), riders ranked below No. 35 in the standings — excluding those with exemptions — will be relegated to Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour competition following the weekend in Arkansas.
Invites for the weekend include Carlos Garcia, who won the Youngstown Velocity Tour event last weekend. Also receiving invites via their Top 5 positions in the Velocity Global standings are Trace Redd, Andy Guzman, Elijah Jennings and Ezekiel Mitchell. Mauricio Moreira, Kase Hitt, Joao Ricardo Vieira and Wyatt Rogers enter the event as alternates.
The 2026 World Championship race remains remarkably tight:
• No. 1 Sage Steele Kimzey leads No. 2 John Crimber by just 14 points entering Little Rock.
• Five different riders have held the No. 1 ranking through the first 11 events this season.
• Twenty-two riders have recorded double-digit qualified rides, with Alex Cerqueira leading the tour at 19-for-31.
• Ten of the tour’s top-ranked riders are converting at 50% or better, with Kimzey leading the way at 68%.
With 167 possible points available on any given weekend, the standings could shift dramatically before the dust settles inside Simmons Bank Arena.
NOTABLE RIDERS TO WATCH
Sage Steele Kimzey returns to competition in Little Rock after doctoring out of Bridgeport while still maintaining the No. 1 position in the standings. The seven-time PRCA World Champion last competed in Jacksonville, where he delivered a perfect 3-for-3 performance capped by a 90.75-point ride aboard Lights Out in the Championship Round to secure the event victory. Having covered eight of his last 10 bulls, Kimzey continues to build momentum in pursuit of his first PBR World Championship.
Right behind him sits John Crimber, who trimmed the standings gap slightly following Bridgeport. The 20-year-old phenom managed to salvage points despite a challenging weekend, rebounding from a Round 1 buckoff aboard Toad to ride Kodiac for 84.20 points in Round 2. With the championship race separated by inches, one strong performance in Little Rock could quickly swing the momentum.
Andrew Alvidrez arrives with perhaps the most momentum on tour. Entering Bridgeport ranked No. 32 and facing potential cuts, Alvidrez delivered a flawless 3-for-3 weekend to vault to No. 14 in the standings. He opened the event with an 84.30-point ride aboard No Socks, followed by an 86.40-point performance atop Real Deal before sealing the victory in the Championship Round with an 88.25-point ride aboard Good Riddance that required video review to confirm the qualified ride.
Leandro Zampollo continues to emerge as one of the season’s breakout contenders. The Brazilian has posted runner-up finishes in both Pittsburgh and Bridgeport, highlighted by a 90.35-point Championship Round ride aboard Bex Red Eye last weekend. Now ranked inside the Top 5, Zampollo is quickly establishing himself as a serious threat in the title race.
Meanwhile, reigning three-time PBR World Champion Jose Vitor Leme sits in unfamiliar territory near the bottom of the standings at No. 35. With only five qualified rides this season, Leme will need to assemble a strong stretch of performances to defend his title and avoid slipping further down the leaderboard.
MONSTER ENERGY TEAM CHALLENGE RETURNS
The Monster Energy Team Challenge continues throughout the 2026 UTB season, bringing head-to-head intensity to select events. At 10 designated stops, teams compete in two 4-on-4 matchups per event, totaling 16 outs.
Two undefeated teams headline the competition entering Little Rock. The Austin Gamblers (3-0) face the Kansas City Outlaws (1-1) with an opportunity to clinch the No. 1 seed heading into the METC playoff tournament. Meanwhile, the Missouri Thunder (4-0) also remain unbeaten and could secure the top seed depending on Friday night’s results.
Elsewhere, the Florida Freedom (2-1) take on the New York Mavericks (1-2) with major playoff implications on the line. A Freedom victory would keep them firmly in the Top 4 and eliminate the Mavericks from contention.
The Texas Rattlers, Oklahoma Wildcatters, Carolina Cowboys and Arizona Ridge Riders have already been eliminated from the METC championship race.
The Top 4 teams will advance to the METC Championship Tournament during the UTB stretch run in Albuquerque (March 27), Billings (April 17) and Tacoma (April 24), where elimination-style 7-on-7 matchups will determine the inaugural Monster Energy Team Challenge champion.
REMATCH RECAP
Friday night in Little Rock brings several familiar matchups back into focus.
When Alan de Souza nods his head aboard Let’s Roll, he’ll face the bull for the first time since Gambler Days in August 2024, when the matchup ended in a 5.65-second buckoff.
Callum Miller gets another opportunity against Ridin’ Dirty, the bull that bucked him off in 3.39 seconds during a Challenger Series event in Fort Worth.
Kaique Pacheco will look to reverse his fortunes against Short Fire after the pair met earlier this season in New York City, where the ride ended in a 6.40-second buckoff before a re-ride opportunity.
With the championship race tightening, the cutline looming and team implications layered throughout the weekend, Kubota PBR Little Rock promises high stakes and little margin for error as the road to the gold buckle continues in Arkansas.
Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media