SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The three Matador Jerky Bullfighters got the gang back together this weekend at the Wrangler Long Live Cowboys Classic.

Frank Newsom and Jesse Byrne returned to action alongside fellow bullfighter Shorty Gorham to put the three bullfighters back on the dirt together for the first time all season.

The long-standing trio have been working together since Byrne joined Gorham and Newsom full time in 2012.

Newsom had missed the first three events this year following offseason right knee surgery, while Byrne was out for the last two weeks with a terrible case of the flu.

“It is really good to be back,” Newsom said. “My knee got a little sore. I knew it was going to be kind of a struggle this weekend getting back in game shape and getting on the dirt. I hadn’t touched a bull in two-and-a-half months, so you are trying to get your feel back and your timing.”

Dr. Tandy Freeman performed the surgery on Newsom’s knee, which involved repairing Newsom’s torn meniscus, as well as some scar tissue and bone spurs, on Nov. 22.

Newsom was then limited to crutches for six weeks and was taking part in a rehab program daily.

The 43-year-old was prepared for what was in store, but there was no way Byrne was ready to be knocked on the floor by the flu.

Byrne woke up in the middle of the night prior to the Chicago Invitational when he started to get sick. He eventually decided to call out of the event because of the illness.

The flu hit him so hard that he even had to go to the hospital at one point.

“Yeah I spent the better part of a day in the hospital after being sick for a couple of days,” Byrne said. “I was so dehydrated and depleted that I needed to get an IV for a couple of rounds. I then got some meds in me from that point on.”

Byrne lost nine pounds because of the flu and was shocked he got sick after getting the flu shot earlier this year.

“This was probably the sickest I ever have been,” Byrne said. “It really kind of knocked it out of me all together. Nine pounds is too many to lose for this cat.”

Byrne’s doctor believes he caught a flu strain that originated in Australia and was making its rounds throughout Canada.

“He asked if I had been around anyone from Australia. I am not blaming anybody, but that was the doctor’s way of thinking,” Byrne said before laughing in reference to the crop of Australian riders on The 25^th PBR: Unleash The Beast tour. “I am not pointing any fingers.”

Newsom and Byrne appeared to have not lost a step on the dirt in their return. Both were refreshed and excited to be back with Gorham.

They were smiling, high-fiving and looking crisp in their standard triangle, bullfighting formation.

The biggest telltale sign of their weekend success was that no riders got seriously injured or wrecked out at the Golden 1 Center.

That is always, always the ultimate goal for them.

It is a big reason why neither bullfighter rushed back to cowboy protecting too soon.

“I don’t want to further injure myself or my partners and put them in a bind because I can’t get out of the way,” Newsom said. “Or not able to be there for one of the bull riders. I just had to look at the big picture.”

Byrne added, “I am glad I am over (the flu). I am feeling good this weekend. It is still a grind to get back into game shape. It has been a good weekend. I am happy to be back.”