PUEBLO, Colo. – The almost dazed, confused and astonished look on Jose Vitor Leme’s face as he posed for photos inside T-Mobile Arena with a massive $300,000 check has finally disappeared.

The 21-year-old is not nearly as flabbergasted as he was following his 6-for-6 performance at the World Finals that made him the fourth rookie in PBR history to ever win the World Finals.

Walking away with a PBR-record $416,000 less than 10 days after first stepping foot in the United States was a lot for Leme to take in, but he said last week that his disbelief is now evolving into greater confidence for 2018.

“Today when I stop to look back to remember everything I've gone through to get here, now I have a sense of how important it is for me to get this victory because it completely changed my life,” Leme said with the help of Miriaham Garcia translating.

Leme hasn’t spent much of his winnings just yet, choosing to invest the majority of his money vs. making reckless purchases.

He did, though, make two noteworthy buys.

Leme first bought his mother, Silvia, a house in Brazil, and he then bought himself a new Ford truck.

If he rides the way that he did at the World Finals, as well as how he envisions himself riding in his mind, then he may have a lot more to invest with in the coming years and seasons.

“For 2018, I cannot think of anything else in my head that is not the world title,” Leme said. “That's my goal. That's what I came for. This is my dream and I will do everything to accomplish it.”

It is amazing to think that a rider who has yet to even compete at a regular-season Premier Series event could be in the conversation for a world title, but that is how impressive Leme, who posted an 82.61-percent riding average in Brazil in 2017, looked at the World Finals.

Leme’s 94.5-point ride on Magic Train at the Finals was the highest-score ride at the Finals in over 10 years and if he can put together those kind of rides consistently he will likely be a world title contender.

The 2017 PBR Brazil champion has already taken a small step toward that goal of winning a world title in 2018. He has gotten off to a quick start in 2018 after deciding to compete in two Real Time Pain Relief Velocity Tour events in December.

Leme bounced back from a 4.47-second buckoff against Biloxi Shores on Dec. 9 in Biloxi, Mississippi, to win the Kearney, Nebraska, Velocity Tour event on Dec. 16 by riding Hoss for 86 points and Wart for 87.

“This event I won at Kearney was also very important to me because the points (80) already count for the 2018 season and keeps me even more confident for this year's title fight,” Leme said.

A day before he competed in Biloxi, Leme trained with the FC Dallas Major League Soccer team for an upcoming CBS Sports feature.

“It was really cool to practice with them because it's a sport that I love too, and that was a dream I had when I was a child,” Leme said.

Leme hasn’t been invincible since arriving in the United States.

After storming out of the gate at the Finals, Leme appeared human at the PBR Global Cup in Edmonton, Alberta, in early November.  Leme rode I Always Stand for 85 points and Legacy for 88.5 points, but he bucked off Gambini (2.21 seconds) and Moleek (4.02 seconds).

Perennial world title contender Kaique Pacheco said in Edmonton that Leme will likely face an adjustment period during his first full season on the Premier Series, but that the second-year rider may indeed become a threat for the title.

“He is a really good bull rider in Brazil,” Pacheco said with the help of Robson Palermo translating. “He started really good here, but here is different from Brazil. It is hard. He rides very good. He is an excellent bull rider. I hope he rides good next year too because he is an excellent bull rider.”

Leme has shown so far to be a quick learner in the United States.

He expects that to continue in 2018 as well.

“I went to (Kearney) because I really love riding bulls,” Leme said. “I cannot stay long without riding, and I was also just trying to get points for 2018. I like the style of the bulls here. I think my adaptation has been very fast. I have trained a lot here and I think I have adapted well.

“This is my dream and I will do everything to accomplish it.”