Now that he’s the 2010 PBR World Champion, Renato Nunes hopes to get some sleep.

It’s been a long week in Las Vegas.

“Last night, you know, I couldn’t sleep because I know I need to ride just one more,” Nunes said, “and now, I think, I can sleep…I hope. Because I’ve been here like five days and I’ve had no nights of sleep.

“I won the world title, and now I think I can sleep a little bit.”

Nunes came to the Thomas & Mack Center in third place in the world standings – trailing his friend Austin Meier by 1,300.75 points. After four rounds, he took the lead not only in the Finals average but as the No. 1 bull rider in the world.

Then, on Sunday afternoon, the 29-year-old rode his fifth bull in a row – Willie Wilco – to seal his first world title with a decisive 2,906-point advantage over Meier in the world standings.

He earned the right to get on Major Payne in the short round. It would be his only buckoff this week.

But that did little to dampen the celebration, as Robson Aragao and McKennon Wimberly carried Nunes on their shoulders through a festive crowd of Brazilian onlookers.

Nearly 30 minutes later they chanted his name – “Renato, Renato, Renato” – as the new World Champion was escorted by PBR security through the back halls to the media room.

“I’m a good bull rider,” he said as he made the four-minute walk to the press conference, “but I don’t want to say I’m the best.”

Later he smiled when asked the same question a second time. He said, “I want to ride like Austin Meier, like J.B. (Mauney), and I respect those guys. … I don’t know if those guys want to ride like me, but I want to ride like them.

“But this week I did better, this year I did better and I won the world title.”

For the past five days, he has indeed ridden like the best rider in the world.

Nunes rode five of six bulls for a combined score of 444 points to beat out Silvano Alves, who finished second in the average with 431.5 points. But it’ll be Nunes’ battle with Meier, which spanned the entire second half of the Built Ford Tough Series, that will be remembered for years to come.

The most dramatic week of Nunes’ career – he became only the second man in PBR history to win both the World Finals event and the world title in the same season – began on Monday evening when he went to the home of Guilherme Marchi to ride practice bulls.

He got on three bulls and rode all them before having dinner with Marchi and his family.

It was then that Marchi told Nunes to go into the Finals without feeling any pressure. Instead, Marchi, who won the world title two years ago, spoke from the heart as well as from experience in offering his advice.

“I told him to be hungry to ride his bulls,” Marchi said, “to win the Finals and you don’t need to show anyone you’re a good bull rider. He is the best, he deserves it and I am very proud for him.”

Marchi then joked, “He told me before he got on this bull he’s going to retire now, because he’s a rich cowboy.”

Nunes won the 2010 gold buckle and the $1 million bonus.

His quest to become the first rider in PBR history to repeat as Champion will begin Jan. 7 in New York at the Madison Square Garden Invitational.

— by Keith Ryan Cartwright