Mauricio Gulla Moreira was born into bull riding. The Gavião Peixoto, Brazil, native grew up watching his father, Redner, compete — including a victory at the prestigious Barretos rodeo — and climbed on his first calf at just 8 years old. By 15, he was competing alongside his dad, and in 2019 the two qualified for Barretos together. Moreira eventually made the move to the United States his father never did, carrying Redner’s dream with him.

After arriving in the U.S. in 2020, Moreira quickly established himself among the PBR elite. He qualified for his first PBR World Finals as a rookie and followed it with a career-best 2021 season, winning an Unleash The Beast event, two 15/15 Bucking Battles and finishing No. 5 in the world. In 2022, he produced the biggest ride of his career — 94.25 points on WSM’s Jive Turkey at the World Finals — to earn the Lane Frost/Brent Thurman Award.

His Teams career has taken him from Arizona to Kansas City and, since 2024, the New York Mavericks, where he remains a familiar presence in the lineup. In New York’s first postseason appearance, Moreira delivered an 86.5-point ride to help the Mavericks advance through the Ride-In Round, then erupted for 91.25 points on The Kraken in the opening round of the Championship.

Away from the dirt, Moreira is a husband and father of two who still gravitates toward anything with an engine or an outdoors edge. A former motocross rider, he enjoys motorcycles, snowboarding, fishing, hunting and camping, while Brazilian food and Whataburger sit high on his list when it is time to eat. His music ranges from gospel to country, with Marília Mendonça a favorite — and when his familiar song hits as he settles into the chute, there is rarely any mistaking who is about to ride.

For Moreira, bull riding remains deeply tied to family. He credits his father — himself a bull rider in the 1990s — as his biggest influence, and now carries that legacy forward every time he nods his head.