PUEBLO, Colo. – He may still have a slight limp in his right leg from an injury suffered at Last Cowboy Standing, but Guilherme Marchi will be in Los Angeles on Wednesday night for the ESPYs strutting along the red carpet in style with his cowboy hat and 2008 World Champion belt buckle.

The current No. 1 rider in the world standings is set to attend ESPN’s annual award show with his wife, Patricia, and will be in attendance as ESPN and the rest of the world honors some of the biggest names in all of sports after spending the majority of June in his native country of Brazil.

“I am so excited,” Marchi said on Monday before going shopping with his Patricia, in Decatur, Texas. “I will be proud to be there with the best athletes in the world.”

Every year The ESPYs, which airs Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET, gathers the top celebrities in sports and entertainment to commemorate the past year in sports by recognizing major achievements, reliving unforgettable moments and saluting the leading performances and performers.

While he is not up for an award, Marchi is proud to have been invited to honor some of the top athletes in the world, including Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson, World Series MVP and Boston Red Sox player David Ortiz and the UFC’s Ronda Rousey.

“It is noble to be there,” Marchi said. “It is a very popular thing for the best athletes in the world.”

He added that he has become a fan of football more than other sports that are popular in the United States, but he enjoys watching all of them, regardless.

Marchi will not be out of place among the sporting world greats, as he currently sits atop the world standings with 32 days remaining until the start of the Built Ford Tough Series second half.

He concluded the first half of the BFTS by winning Last Cowboy Standing and its $100,000 bonus in Las Vegas. It was a fitting end to the first half of the season after Marchi demonstrated throughout the season’s first 18 events that he was the most consistent rider on tour, holding the No. 1 spot for 11 of the final 12 weeks of the first half.

The summer has been a time of rest for the 32-year-old after he injured his right PCL on the first night of Last Cowboy Standing when he was bucked off by Kujo in 3.69 seconds.

Marchi explained that his knee felt further discomfort after Bushwacker bucked him off later in the weekend.

“He bucked me off so hard with a lot of power that when I hit the ground I twisted my knee,” Marchi said.

He later met with Dr. Tandy Freeman in Dallas, who advised Marchi to take 10 weeks off to rest his injured knee.

However, Marchi wound up riding his way to a Round 1 victory on June 27 of the Silvano Alves Invitational when he made 8 seconds aboard Carro Chefe for 90.5 points.

Although, he then decided to withdraw from the event after feeling soreness in his knee after the ride, and ended up helping out in the arena as a safety rider roping bulls.

Marchi also participated in a variety of television interviews to help promote Alves’ event in the community.

“I got on that bull and I was feeling good, but the next day it felt sore and I told Silvano I am not going to get on,” Marchi said. “I was scared to hurt my knee more and didn’t want to lose my season over there.”

The knee has since improved, and the 11-year BFTS veteran expects to be ready in time for when the BFTS resumes in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Aug. 15.

Following the ESPYS, he will return to Brazil for most of the remainder of the summer break and participate in physical therapy to help strengthen his knee.

Currently, the top five riders atop the world standings – Fabiano Vieira (-473.43), Joao Ricardo Vieira (763.37), Mike Lee (1,288.25) and Silvano Alves (1,541.56) – are all within striking distance of Marchi.

“I know everybody wants to be champion,” he said. “I want to win a title, too, but it is not easy.”

It is why rest is so important says the Leme, Brazil, bull rider. He knows every one of those riders will be gunning for their chance to claim the World Championship come the Built Ford Tough World Finals in October and he wants to make sure he is healthy and ready for the stretch run.

“It is getting better, but it is still sore,” Marchi said. “I do a lot of stuff right now and feel more healthy and strong in my knee. I will come back 100 percent to finish the season strong.”

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko.