JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – For the first time in four years, PBR’s (Professional Bull Riders) elite Unleash The Beast will return to Jacksonville, Florida, welcoming fans into VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena May 22-23 for the PBR Bad Boy Mowers Invitational, presented by Union Home Mortgage.

The PBR premier series event in Jacksonville will abide by all protocols set forth by ASM Global’s industry-leading VenueShield program, along with City and State guidelines and the league’s own Be Cowboy Safe plan. Those fan safety protocols include:

• Face masks will be encouraged when inside VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena when social distancing is not possible, except when eating or drinking. Masks will be available for all patrons attending the event.
• In addition to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-informed screening, all PBR personnel will undergo medical testing for COVID-19.
• VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena has gone cashless for all purchases, including parking, concessions and merchandise transactions.
• Increased sanitization of high-contact areas including doors, railings, concession counters, merchandise stands, bathrooms and elevators.
• Hand sanitizer stations will be placed throughout the venue at high volume areas to promote hand hygiene.

While the Unleash The Beast hasn’t thrilled fans in the River City since 2017, the league has a storied history in Jacksonville.

In the 2002 debut of PBR’s premier series in the city, Mike Lee (Decatur, Texas) won the inaugural event, followed closely by two-time PBR World Champion Chris Shivers (Jonesville, Louisiana) in second, the year’s eventual World Champion Ednei Caminhas (Indaiatuba, Brazil) in fourth, and three-time PBR World Champion Adriano Moraes (Cachoeira Paulista, Brazil) in fifth.

After Jody Newberry (Ada, Oklahoma) topped the Jacksonville event leaderboard in 2003, Justin McBride (Whitesboro, Texas) tied for the victory in 2005 alongside Brian Courson (Winter Haven, Florida) en route to the first of McBride’s two PBR World Championships.

PBR’s elite tour subsequently stopped three more times in Jacksonville. The remaining event winners include: Travis Briscoe (Edgewood, New Mexico) – 2006; J.B. Mauney (Statesville, North Carolina) – 2008; and Eduardo Aparecido (Gouvelandia, Brazil) – 2017.

Despite the elite tour’s absence, PBR’s expansion series, the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour, traveled to Jacksonville in both 2019 and 2020. After Taylor Toves (Stephenville, Texas) topped the leaderboard in 2019, current world No. 5 Dener Barbosa (Paulo de Faria, Brazil) won the most recent event in Jacksonville in 2020.

The PBR’s return to Jacksonville will mark the 14^th Unleash The Beast event of 2021, with an already feverish World Championship race intensifying by the week.

Despite battling two injuries at the start of the season, Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) has been in seemingly unstoppable form since his return.

Recently overtaking the world No. 1 ranking, now 27.5 points ahead of No. 2 Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil), Leme is seeking further history in 2021, attempting to become just the second back-to-back World Champion in league history, joining three-time Champion Silvano Alves (2011-2012, 2014), and seventh multi-time World Champion ever in the PBR.

To date, Leme’s season has been headlined by two Unleash The Beast event victories, 10 90-point rides, and seven round wins.

While Leme joins Pacheco as the only two riders to have won multiple premier series events to date, he is honing in on the season record for most 90-point rides and round victories. Two-time PBR World Champion Mauney won a league-best 19 rounds in 2013, while 1999 PBR World Champion Cody Hart (Gainesville, Texas) logged 16 90-point rides the season he won the coveted gold buckle.

However, despite Leme’s dominance, he is locked in a heated battle with No. 2 Pacheco, No. 3 Cooper Davis (Jasper, Texas – 123 points behind), No. 4 Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Brazil – 123.5 points back) and No. 5 Barbosa.

Davis recently ascended to the world No. 3 rank courtesy of his first Unleash The Beast victory of the season, notched in Omaha, Nebraska. The 2016 PBR World Champion was propelled to the golden finish courtesy of his fifth 90-point ride of the season, a 92.25-point ride atop Trail of Tears (Dakota Rodeo/Berger/Struve/MAGA Cattle/Roper Angus).

The bull riding action for the PBR Bad Boy Mowers Invitational, presented by Union Home Mortgage begins with Round 1 at 6:45 p.m. EDT on Saturday, May 22, concluding with Round 2 and the championship round at 1:45 p.m. EDT on Sunday, May 23. All 40 bull riders will get on one bull each in Round 1 and 2. Following Round 2 on Sunday afternoon, the riders’ individual two-round scores will be totaled with the Top 12 advancing to the championship round for one more out and a chance at the event title.

Tickets for the two-day event are on sale now and start at $15. They can be purchased at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena Box Office or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

For an enhanced PBR experience, fans can now purchase add-on PBR Premium Experiences which will include the Elite Experience on both Saturday, May 22 and Sunday, May 23 in Jacksonville.

The Elite Experience, available for $75, will include a Q&A session with a select group of the league’s top riders, bullfighters and stock contractors, merchandise voucher, limited edition poster and commemorative lanyard.

Fans will also have the opportunity to purchase a complete travel package for $1,200, including a two-day hotel stay, two event tickets, daily food and beverage voucher, behind-the-scenes tour, and more.

For more information on PBR Premium Experiences and to purchase the Elite Experience and travel package for the PBR Bad Boy Mowers Invitational, presented by Union Home Mortgage, in Jacksonville visit https://pbr.com/tickets/premium-experiences/.