FORT WORTH, Texas – In a season defined by championship pressure, razor-thin margins and unforgettable moments inside packed arenas, the 2026 YETI PBR World Champion Bull race was decided by the smallest margin imaginable.
One one-hundredth of a point.
That was all that separated Ransom from Pegasus when the dust settled inside Dickies Arena at the 2026 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast.
By the time the final short round of the season arrived, Pegasus held a .05-point lead over Ransom in the average bull score standings. It was the kind of margin that left no room for error, no room for an off trip and no room for anything short of greatness.
Then Ransom delivered.
Owned by D&H Cattle Co. / Flinn, Ransom was crowned both the 2026 YETI PBR World Champion Bull and YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Finals, earning the accompanying $100,000 and $25,000 bonuses after one of the closest and most dramatic bucking bull title races in PBR history.
The title of 2026 YETI World Champion Bull is awarded to the animal athlete with the highest average bull score from his eight highest-scored outs logged during the 2025 PBR Teams and 2026 Unleash The Beast regular season, alongside two outs at the 2026 PBR World Finals.
The YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Finals title goes to the bovine athlete who posts the top combined score across his three outs during the 2026 PBR World Finals.
Ransom did both.
He ended the season with a 45.96-point average score, edging Pegasus, who finished with a 45.95-point average, by just .01 points in the YETI World Champion Bull race.
A changing of the guard
At the beginning of the 2026 YETI World Champion Bull race, all eyes were on the already two-time reigning World Champion Bull Man Hater. After claiming the sport’s highest bovine honor in each of the previous two seasons, the question across the bull riding world was simple: Could he do it again?
For a while, it looked like the late great bovine athlete might once again be the front-runner. But the season had other plans. A misstep ultimately ended Man Hater’s historic reign, opening the door for a new champion to emerge. Still, his legacy remains untouched. Man Hater will be remembered as one of the rankest, most dominant and most beloved bulls of his era, a generational animal athlete who helped define the standard Ransom, Pegasus and the next wave of great bucking bulls will now chase.
In many ways, the 2026 race became a passing of the crown. Man Hater’s greatness did not fade. It simply made room for Ransom’s rise.
A season built on rank power
Across the 2026 season, the bull power was undeniable.
The average bull score across the year was 41.97 points, while short-round bulls averaged 43.8 points. Out of 556 unique bulls competing on tour this year, only 155 were selected for the World Finals, underscoring the elite standard required to buck on the sport’s biggest stage.
Once the action reached Fort Worth, the animal athletes delivered. The 2026 PBR World Finals featured 114 bulls marked 44 points or higher, 28 bulls marked 45 points or higher and 11 bulls marked 46 points or higher. That rank pen helped produce 98 qualified rides and 22 scores in the 90s, including the highest-marked ride of the season.
That ride came from Eduardo Aparecido aboard Ransom.
The highest-marked bull score of the season belonged to Ransom, too.
A ride fans will talk about for decades
There are great rides, and then there are rides people talk about for decades.
Aparecido delivered exactly that Thursday night inside Dickies Arena.
“Fast Eddie” climbed aboard Ransom during Round 5 and produced a staggering 96.10-point ride, recording the third-highest score in PBR World Finals history.
Ransom was marked an incredible 46.75 points, helping create one of the highest-scoring matchups the sport has ever seen.
The score earned Aparecido the Round 5 victory, 59 world points and a $50,000 payday. But more importantly, it delivered one of those unforgettable moments that reminded everyone exactly why the PBR World Finals remains the pinnacle of the sport.
Ransom’s World Finals run also included a 47.15-point bull score in Round 2, when he dispatched Cassio Dias in 6.70 seconds, and his title-clinching 47.35-point score against Brady Fielder during Sunday’s Championship Round.
A final-round heavyweight fight
The battle for the 2026 YETI World Champion Bucking Bull title delivered exactly the kind of dramatic finish fans had hoped for as the Championship Round inside Dickies Arena featured a heavyweight showdown between Pegasus and Ransom.
Callum Miller climbed aboard Pegasus first, but lasted just 2.42 seconds as the powerful bull posted a massive 46.10-point bull score to further strengthen his case for Bucking Bull of the Year honors.
Moments later, world No. 2 Fielder faced off against Ransom in one of the most pivotal outs of the entire season.
Fielder was awarded a re-ride after a chute foul was called on Ransom, but the bull’s 47.35-point score still counted toward the YETI World Champion Bucking Bull standings.
His 47.35-point out pushed him past Pegasus in the average and clinched his first world title honors, sealing one of the closest Bucking Bull title races the sport has seen in years.
No matter which side fans supported, the final-round battle between Pegasus and Ransom became one of the most entertaining storylines of the 2026 PBR World Finals.
Pegasus made him earn it
While Ransom stole the final headlines, Pegasus made a major statement of his own in the race for the 2026 YETI World Champion Bucking Bull title.
Pegasus carried Alex Cerqueira to a massive 94.35-point ride earlier in the Finals, with the bull himself marked an impressive 46.30 points. The out tightened what had already become one of the closest World Champion Bucking Bull races in PBR history heading into the Championship Round.
Then came Pegasus’ 46.10-point trip with Miller on Championship Sunday.
For most bulls, that would have been enough.
Against Ransom, it came up one one-hundredth of a point short.
Built like a champion
Ransom exploded onto the premier series scene with the kind of power and presence that instantly commanded attention every time the chute gate cracked open.
He spent the 2026 season proving he was more than rank. He was championship material.
The dominant bovine athlete built his reputation as a relentless competitor who delivered maximum effort every time he stepped into the arena, combining elite intensity, explosive kick, violent direction changes and unmatched difficulty.
By season’s end, he had become the complete package judges search for in a World Champion Bull.
Ransom closed the season on a historic run, averaging an incredible 47.28 points across his final four recorded outs. That stretch included a season-best 47.85-point performance in Billings, Montana, the highest-marked bull score of the season, along with dominant World Finals trips against Dias, Aparecido and Fielder.
“He’s a world champ for a reason,” Director of Livestock Riley Gagnon said. “He’s a true gamer. He’s just going to give me his all every time I use him. He checks all the boxes that judges are looking for.”
For Gagnon, Ransom’s greatness comes down to the details.
“He’s a five in intensity, five in kick, five in buck, five in direction change, five in difficulty,” Gagnon said. “You just can’t ask one to buck that hard. He’s truly one in a lifetime.”
D&H Cattle Co. / Flinn owner Eldon Flinn put it even more simply when speaking to Cowboy+.
“You better look at him while you’re on the other side of the fence,” Flinn said. “You’re going to score big when you stay on that bull. We don’t expect him to buck everybody off. We just want him to do his thing and show what he’s got.”
That is exactly what Ransom did.
Ransom’s championship season
Ransom’s 2026 Unleash The Beast and Velocity Tour campaign featured one elite out after another, with his highest score coming April 18 in Billings when he was marked 47.85 points against Dias.
His season included:
2025 Modo Casino PBR Chicago: 44.75 points against Fielder
2026 Silencer Shop PBR Tulsa: 45.65 points against Mason Taylor
2026 Progressive PBR Jacksonville: 45.45 points against Fielder
2026 Kubota PBR Little Rock: 45.50 points against Austin Richardson
2026 PBR Indianapolis presented by Cooper Tires: 45.60 points against Jadon Hayes
2026 First Premier Bank PBR Sioux Falls: 46.15 points against Fielder
2026 PBR Billings: 47.85 points against Dias
2026 PBR World Finals Round 2: 47.15 points against Dias
2026 PBR World Finals Round 5: 46.75 points against Aparecido
2026 PBR World Finals Championship Round: 47.35 points against Fielder
When the pressure peaked in Fort Worth, Ransom delivered again.
He was powerful enough to buck off a world champion. Rank enough to help produce the highest-marked ride of the 2026 season. Consistent enough to win the average. Dominant enough to sweep both major bull honors.
And when the tightest title race in years came down to one final out, Ransom left no doubt that he belonged among the sport’s elite.
Now, with one of the closest and most dramatic title-clinching performances in league history behind him, Ransom’s legacy is only beginning to grow.