Kimzey’s session-topping effort represented his tour-best seventh round win of the season, while his successful dance with Lights Out marked the fourth-straight 90-point effort the familiar duo has produced.

“What an awesome bull. I’ve bragged on him all year long and Blake Sharp’s got an awesome one in him. He’s just a bull rider’s dream and anytime you can get on him is a special day,” Kimzey said on the Paramount+ telecast.

“At the end of the day, I don’t know how many PBR World Finals I have left in me, so to be able to come in here and kick it off with two round wins, it’s all good, man.”

Kimzey netted 59 UTB points and is now just 179.50 points back of No. 1 John Crimber (Decatur, Texas) and 10 points behind No. 2 Brady Fielder (Clermont, Australia) after following up his 90.50-point ride aboard Short Fire during the opening round with another epic strike Friday to further tighten the world title race.

No. 5 Paulo Eduardo Rossetto (Colorado, Brazil) joins Kimzey as the only two Top 5-ranked riders with conversions in Fort Worth, with Crimber, Fielder and No. 4 Leandro Zampollo (Pirassununga, Brazil) each 0-for-2 this weekend.

No. 16 Luciano De Castro (Guzolandia, Brazil) extended his 2026 premier series-best ride streak to eleven-straight conversions to occupy second place following Round 2.

Castro went the distance on Bex Red Eye for 89.25 points to edge out No. 9 Keyshawn Whitehorse (McCracken Spring, Utah) by .55 points in the event aggregate. Whitehorse stayed perfect in Fort Worth Friday, going the distance on Richard Slam for 90.20 points.

Whitehorse earned 27 UTB points, while Castro took home 21 UTB points.

No. 18 Hudson Bolton (Milan, Tennessee) continued his hot streak in Round 2, besting his tenth bull across his last 11 matchups.

The 20-year-old rider went the distance atop Eyes On Me (86.40 points) after surviving the requisite 8 atop Blonde Bomber (89.65 points) in Round 1 to sit in fourth place entering Round 3.

No. 34 Dener Barbosa (Paulo de Faria, Brazil) became the first man to double down inside Cowtown Coliseum. He matched his Round 1 score of 87.70 points, this time earning the mark aboard Splash Tide in Round 2 while skyrocketing up the big board.

Barbosa ended the second night in fifth place and took home 18 UTB points for his successful showcase.

Bovine athletes dominated the slate once again in Round 2, with the rank pen allowing just nine qualified rides on the night. Bulls have now relinquished just 17 conversions through the first two rounds of competition.

Seven of the Top 10-ranked bulls contending to be crowned the YETI World Champion Bull were in action Friday.

No. 2 Ransom paced the pack with a 47.15-point bull score, sending 2024 PBR World Champion Cassio Dias (São F. de Sales, Brazil) to the dirt in 6.70 seconds to briefly overtake No. 1 Pegasus. Ransom’s second-straight mark doubled as the best bull score at World Finals so far and the bull’s second-straight mark above 47 points as the bovine continued to bring his best down the home stretch.

However, Pegasus reclaimed his top spot later in the night courtesy of a 46.80-point bull score by dispatching 2022 PBR World Champion Daylon Swearingen (Piffard, New York) in 3.67 seconds. Overall, the round featured seven bull scores north of 45 points.

Magic Potion also dispatched his PBR record 60th-consecutive rider Friday, sending Andy Guzman (Oakdale, California) to the dirt in a brief 1.84 seconds as the animal athlete improved to 65-0 all-time.

Action for the 2026 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast – at Cowtown Coliseum continues Saturday, May 9 at 7:45 p.m. CT, with Day 3 coverage set to begin on Paramount+ at 8 p.m. CT.

All eight days of World Finals competition are available via Paramount+.