The Professional Bull Riders (PBR) are gearing up to celebrate the legendary career of PBR bullfighter Rob Smets (Merkel, Texas), 47, who announced his retirement during the Express PBR Classic held in Oklahoma City in January. The Rob Smets Retirement Party will take place on Thursday, November 2, immediately following the fourth performance of Built Ford Tough World Finals action, and will feature live entertainment by Ricky and the Redstreaks. Tickets to the event, which will take place at the South Seas Ballroom in Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, are $50 and available through both the PBR and Mandalay Bay. The PBR’s Built Ford Tough World Finals presented by Wrangler invades Las Vegas for two weeks of non-stop action, October 27-November 5.

Smets has been enjoying his time working behind the microphone lately, as opposed to battling the beasts on the arena floor. From a safer vantage point Smets lends his expertise to PBR broadcasts on OLN, as well as on the Amp’d Mobile broadcasts. He has also been busy supplying commentary at event promoter Jerry Nelson’s venues and plans to attend the Last Frontier PBR Challenge events in Alaska this September.

Smets will work with OLN on the Dickies National Bullfighting Championship, which take place exclusively on the first weekend of Built Ford Tough World Finals action at Mandalay Bay Events Center, October 27-29. Tickets are available now for the first weekend of the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals which includes the bullfights at 877.632.7400.

Friends, family and fans will have a unique chance during the Rob Smets Retirement Party to celebrate Smets’ career as a life saver, a role model, a teacher, and a living legend. After sustaining the third broken neck of his 27-year career on March 3 during the Reno-Tahoe Invitational presented by Silver Legacy, Smets underwent surgery on March 8 at the Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas in order for the fracture of his C7 vertebra to be repaired. He was predicted to be out of commission for a minimum of 8-12 weeks and subsequently made the wise decision not to return to the arena to fight.

About PBR:
More than 104 million viewers tune in each year to the PBR on NBC, OLN and on a host of foreign networks across the globe. With over 500 hours of prime time programming annually PBR ranks among the most prolific sports on air, in addition to attracting over one million live event attendees each year with its multi-tiered event structure which includes the marquee Built Ford Tough Series presented by Wrangler, the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company Challenger Tour, the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tour, and the Discovery Tour, designed specifically for entry level contestants. The PBR's governing board of directors is comprised of renowned bull riders who have developed the event into a stand alone sport which is experiencing unprecedented growth in global popularity. The PBR is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., and has over 600 athletes competing in more than 100 PBR sanctioned competitions.