Last night, the top bull riders in the world converged upon Milwaukee, Wisconsin to flex their muscles and showcase their talents inside of a brand new arena as the Professional Bull Riders 25th Anniversary Monster Energy Unleash The Beast Tour came to town. Knowing that the season is quickly coming to an end, each and every one of the bull riders in the locker room knew they had to put their best foot forward to earn some precious world title race points and they began doing that less than twenty-four hours ago when the 2018 Ariat Invitational Presented By Cooper Tires began. As we marched towards the arena earlier this afternoon we were all filled with anticipation as we all were wondering how the conclusion of this weekend’s festivities would shake up the look of the world title race.
Along with all of the good that came from last night there were a few scary moments that we all had to sit and watch down on the arena floor as the toll of the long season could be seen taking its toll on many of the athletes. One instance in particular that many people have been asking me about is the status of both Stetson Lawrence and Jesse Byrne following the huge hang up that happened just four bulls into round number one. Following the round last night I went out to eat with Stetson and a group of others and I am glad to say that other than being pretty sore he is doing just fine and is planning on competing here this afternoon. On the other hand, Matador Jerky Bullfighter Jesse Byrne suffered a major concussion and has been sidelined for the weekend, hoping to be back in action next week if he can pass the concussion protocol at the arena.
Alex Marcilio Brings Home The Round Two Win In Milwaukee
Photo Credit: Andy Watson / Bull Stock Media
After a round one that will not soon be forgotten where sixteen of the thirty-five riders were able to make the eight-second buzzer one could hope to see the very same type of outcome as round two was set to begin inside of the brand new FISERV Forum in downtown Milwaukee. It has been quite some time since we have seen his much success in a single round as this year has been all about the bull power. Even with all of the rides that were made last night, it took its toll on a few of the riders as they were either assisted out of the arena or barely walked out themselves so it will be interesting to see how banged up they actually are as Championship Sunday begins later this afternoon. Remember, there are a few that have been invited here this weekend that are on the outside looking in and come into round two riding a huge wave of momentum from the round last night as they march up the board, trying to secure their spot at the 2018 PBR World Finals in just over a month in Las Vegas, Nevada!
As we all made our way back to the FISERV Forum, we all were anxious to see what the day would bring and who would walk out with an event championship title but we still had quite a bit f unfinished business to attend to before we could get to that point. That would begin with a round two performance that was a do or die moment for each of the bull riders in the locker room. Knowing that there were only fifteen available spots in the championship round and sixteen qualified rides made last night, it came down to a ride or go home shootout at the O.K. Corral which offered for some exciting moments. Once things were all said and done there were another fifteen qualified rides made with Alex Marcilio coming out better than all the others, earning a round win with a nice 87.75 point ride atop Phenom Genetics/Hatfield/Fecho’s Lethal Larry!
Complete List Of Qualified Rides Fron Round Two In Milwaukee:
Alex Marcilio (87.75) Nathan Burtenshaw (86.25)
Kaique Pacheco (85.75) Sean Willingham (85.50)
Joao Ricardo Vieira (85.25) Marco Eguchi (85.00)
Cody Nance (85.00) Cody Teel (84.25)
Jose Vitor Leme (84.25) Dakota Buttar (84.25)
Ramon de Lima (84.00) Dener Barbosa (84.00)
Derek Kolbaba (83.25) Claudio Montanha Jr. (83.25)
Eduardo Aparecido (82.25)
Kaique Pacheco Earns The Championship Round Win On Sunday Afternoon
Photo Credit: Andy Watson / Bull Stock Media
As things began to wind down and the FISERV Forum began to rejoice, there was still a huge round awaiting us before we could crown an event champion, close the doors and head to Greensboro next weekend. Over the past two days, the top bull riders in the world competed against each other to have a shot at making it to the championship round that we would all be about ready to witness either on Ride Pass, on CBS Sports Network or live in person. Once the bulls were picked and the match-ups announced it was finally time to get going on the moment that we all had been waiting for as we were ready to watch the final round of the weekend. Some of the choices raised some eyebrows while some were picked specifically to have a great shot at earning some much-needed world title race points at the end of the day.
Once the planks were removed and the shark cage was cleared it was time to get down to the business at hand and get the 2018 Ariat Invitational Presented By Cooper Tires Championship Round started as we looked to crown an event champion. Each and every one of the fifteen guys competing this afternoon had their sights set on leaving Milwaukee with a ton of world title race points and a Montana Silversmith belt buckle to go along with them. After all was said and done there would be five of those fifteen that would come in and take care of the bovine athletes placed in front of them to earn a qualified ride. Even though we saw some awesome talent only one could come out victorious and earn the championship round win and this weekend that distinction would be able to go to Kaique Pacheco after earning a 91 point ride aboard Broken Arrow Bucking Bulls’ Stunt Man Ray to leave Milwaukee with a pocket full of money, some world title race points and a brand new belt buckle to show off!
Kaique Pacheco Secures The 2018 Ariat Invitational Event Win
Photo Credit: Andy Watson / Bull Stock Media
If this weekend’s event here in Milwaukee showed us one thing at all, it would be that the race to Las Vegas is far from being over as those on the bubble are stepping up to the plate to earn their spot while every title race is well up for grabs. The 2018 Ariat Invitational Presented By Cooper Tires was an amazing event to be a part of but before we could jump in the truck and make out way back to the frozen tundra that we call Minneapolis there was still one more thing that we needed to take care of and that would be officially crowning another event champion. That man that would take home the title would not be able to do so without a huge fight as this weekend’s event was one of the best overall performances that we have seen throughout the entire 2018 Unleash The Beast season!
Overall, the heart and try that the cowboys displayed here was truly amazing and left the fans watching in complete amazement and wanting even more over the next two weeks as we close out the 2018 regular season. This weekend however, one man would prove better than all the others and stand tall atop of shark cage in the center of the arena to claim his event win. Earlier this afternoon that man was Kaique Pacheco who would have a weekend to remember going 3-for-3 accumulating 263 overall points, besting all others at the 2018 Ariat Invitational Presented By Cooper Tires. His performance would keep him making more distance while holding onto the number one spot in the world standings and give him another 551.70 world title race points.
From the very beginning, from round one to the conclusion of the event earlier this afternoon, the level of nerves begin to be raised as the last-ditch efforts of the top thirty-five bull riders in the world take center stage. Now that there are only two events remaining in the regular season, all eyes are on the major races as they really begin to tighten up and the drama begins to unfold which started right here in Milwaukee. We are right in the middle of one of the tightest Rookie of the Year races that we have ever seen and pair that with the world title races on both the bull rider and bovine athlete side, it will all make for a very exciting race to Las Vegas. Along with all of that, we will be keeping our eyes on Chase Outlaw as he flies up the world title race standings on his way to hopefully making it into the top thirty-five in the next two weeks!
It is quite easy to follow all the breaking news and excitement with the Rodeo Round Up simply by copying this website into your favorites in your web browser for easy one-click access to event statistics. You can also like and follow us on Facebook here, or by liking and following us on Instagram at @rodeoroundup and on Twitter at @therodeoroundup. You can have easy access to all of the video interviews Jason does from all the events across the country as well by simply clicking the link HERE to be transferred to the Rodeo Round Up’s Youtube channel as well! Jason has also made it easy for you to be a part of his interviews by opening up a listener comment line. If you have a question for a certain rodeo star simply call in and leave your name, where you are from, who the question is for and what your question is and he will do his best to get it answered for you during his interviews.
Leave a Reply