PUEBLO, Colo. – Claudio Montanha Jr. knew he let a golden opportunity pass him by inside Bridgestone Arena at the Music City Knockout, presented by Cooper Tires, last month.

Montanha was making his way out of the locker room when he was asked about being within 21.67 points of world leader Kaique Pacheco.

It was very much a successful weekend in Nashville as he made up 280 points on Pacheco.

However, Montanha could not help but wonder, “What if?”

Montanha had advanced to the Final 4 of the Music City Knockout before bucking off Old Fort Days in 3.10 seconds into his hand – leaving potentially 625 world points on the table – and being eliminated by Colten Jesse (3.19 seconds on Bezerk).

“I am a little sad because I was close to winning the event,” Montanha said with the help of Joao Ricardo Vieira translating.

“I have a lot of events left. Seven more. I am just focused on each event.”

Pacheco, though, didn’t take long to strike back.

He too was focused on the next bull riding.

The current world leader tied for the victory at the Real Time Pain Relief Velocity Tour event in Salinas, California, last week and finished second on Tuesday night at the RVT event in Window Rock, Arizona.

Pacheco increased his world lead by 125 points during the two-week premier series break, and he now heads into the PFIWestern.com Invitational, presented by Bass Pro Shops, 146.67 points ahead of Montanha.

Fans can watch Round 1 exclusively on RidePass beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET.

One of the fun subplots during the two-week premier series break was the back and forth between Pacheco and Montanha on the Velocity Tour.

Pacheco went 4-for-4, while Montanha went 2-for-3 in two events.

The showdown between the two began in Salinas, California, when Montanha was the first to ride.

Montanha rode Smalls for 77 points in Round 1 and accepted a re-ride option, ultimately bucking off Blowing Smoke in 5.71 seconds.

Pacheco then took advantage of Montanha’s buckoff by riding Deperado for 79 points on the next ride and turned down a re-ride knowing he was guaranteed a spot in the championship round.

In the championship round, Pacheco’s gamble paid off as he rode Psycho Blue for 83 points, while Marco Eguchi, Jorge Valdiviezo and Alisson de Souza failed to usurp Pacheco and Alex Marcilio atop the event standings.

Pacheco again answered Montanha this week in Window Rock.

Montanha was the first of the two world leaders to ride and covered Brindle Jacket for 86 points in Round 1. Pacheco then rode Blue Bonnet Spearman for 87 points.

The 29-year-old then put the pressure back on Pacheco in the championship round with an 87.5-point ride on Dipping Snuff in the championship round. Pacheco, though, once again answered and conquered High Razor for 89 points.

Montanha said on Wednesday that the momentum he gained in Nashville has continued, and that he is ready for a strong push this weekend in Springfield.

“It was very important to be more confident for the Springfield event,” he said. “It was very important because I was going to stay two weeks stopped. It’s always good to practice.”

Montanha and Pacheco have close to identical numbers this year on the premier series. Pacheco is 25-for-55 (45.45 percent) with two event wins (Tacoma and Last Cowboy Standing) and three 15/15 Bucking Battles. Montanha is 25-for-61 (40.98 percent) with two event wins (Billings and Duluth) and two runner-up finishes.

Springfield is the final three-day event of 2018. This weekend’s event in Springfield also features a 15/15 Bucking Battle. Therefore, one rider in the Top 15 of the world standings can earn potentially 1,050 points toward the world standings with a clean sweep of the two competitions.

Montanha won the last three-day event, picking up 750 world points in Billings, Montana, this past April to take over the world No. 1 ranking for the first time in his career.

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko