TUCSON, Ariz. – It has been less than three weeks – 20 days – since the PBR crowned its inaugural 2022 PBR Team Series Champion in Las Vegas. The confetti have since stopped falling inside T-Mobile Arena, and the Nashville Stampede have enjoyed being the Cinderella story of this past year.

There is no rest for the weary in the sport of professional bull riding, though, and the race to the 2023 World Championship officially gets underway Saturday night at Tucson Arena with the Monster Energy Invitational in Tucson, Arizona (8:45 p.m. ET RidePass on Pluto TV).

By no means is it a guarantee that the rider who is victorious this weekend will become this coming season’s gold buckle winner, but Tucson will be a fresh reminder of how much of a grind it will be for any of the hundreds of riders in the world who aspire to one day become a PBR World Champion.

Tucson marks the beginning of a 4-month UTB marathon-sprint consisting of 23 regular-season events with only one week off on the calendar between now and the 2023 PBR World Finals in Fort Worth, Texas, this May. In past seasons, a rider could have between a month or two off before the new premier series season would begin after the World Finals. They would also get a summer break if they so desired.

The PBR Team Series changed that, so don’t be surprised to see several riders missing events early in the 2023 season as they try to recuperate from lingering injuries, undergo surgeries or simply recharge their mental batteries.

The PBR has given riders who earned guaranteed exemptions to begin the 2023 season the opportunity to skip two of the first five UTB events with no penalty because of the physical demands of the new event schedule. This also allows international riders to visit their families at home or return to their native countries to renew visas, etc.

RELATED: How riders earned guaranteed UTB exemptions for 2023

However, missing events early in the season could make it challenging for riders hoping to win a world title or stay on the Unleash The Beast. Beginning this season, the PBR World Champion will be the rider who earns the most points on the UTB tour and at the 2023 PBR World Finals. Gone are the days of riders racking up points at lower level PBR events to help add to their world standings total. Simply put, the World Champion will be the rider with the most UTB points this season.

Let’s take a look at who is in the draw this weekend in Arizona.

WHO IS IN FOR TUCSON Daylon Swearingen (World Champion) Kaique Pacheco (World Champion) Cooper Davis (World Champion) Ednei Caminhas (World Champion) Marcus Mast (Team Standings) Derek Kolbaba (Team Standings) Mason Taylor (Team Standings) Eduardo Aparecido (Team Standings) Andrew Alvidrez (Team Standings) Cody Jesus (Team Standings) Daniel Keeping (Team Standings) Boudreaux Campbell (Team Standings) Keyshawn Whitehorse (Challenger Series Championship Standings) Wyatt Rogers (Challenger Series Championship Standings) Jesse Petri (Challenger Series Championship Standings) Mauricio Moreira (Top-2 from 2022 world standings not qualified) Eli Vastbinder (Top-2 from 2022 world standings not qualified) Joao Henrique Lucas (Nashville Stampede) Braidy Randolph (Texas Rattlers) Briggs Madsen (Oklahoma Freedom) Colten Fritzlan (Missouri Thunder) Koltin Hevalow (Kansas City Outlaws) Wingson da Silva (Carolina Cowboys) Dakota Louis (Austin Gamblers) Vitor Losnake (Arizona Ridge Riders) Bob Mitchell (Up to an additional 10 Team Standings) Ezekiel Mitchell (Up to an additional 10 Team Standings) Rafael Henrique dos Santos (Up to an additional 10 Team Standings) Chase Outlaw (Injury Exemption) Brady Oleson (Injury Exemption) Kyler Oliver (Injury Exemption) Marcelo Procopio Pereira (Injury Exemption) Junior Patrik Souza (Injury Exemption) Manoelito de Souza (Injury Exemption) Matt Triplett (Alternate) Casey Roberts (Alternate) Thiago Salgado (Alternate)

OUT BECAUSE OF INJURY/OTHER

Jose Vitor Leme Jess Lockwood Silvano Alves Alisson de Souza Joao Ricardo Vieira Lucas Divino Clayton Sellars Dener Barbosa Chase Dougherty Cole Melancon Luciano de Castro Adriano Salgado Ramon de Lima Sandro Batista Rafael Jose de Brito Dalton Kasel

INJURY NEWS & NOTES: Kasel, who won last weekend’s Ouncie Mitchell Memorial bull riding, was a last-minute removal from the draw on Saturday morning after waking up sick…Leme is currently in Brazil while letting his broken ribs from the PBR Team Series Championship attempt to heal…Lockwood remains out of competition because of a torn PCL, but he met with Dr. Tandy Freeman last week and was informed the knee is looking good…Lockwood says he is focusing on his physical therapy and building back muscle before returning…Vieira underwent jaw surgery on Nov. 14 and says he is hopeful to be cleared to ride on Dec. 9-10 in Minneapolis…Divino underwent reconstructive hip surgery following the PBR Team Series Championship with Dr. Byrd in Nashville…Sellars is recovering from reconstructive right shoulder surgery and is eyeing a return at the end of February/early March…Melancon is aiming for a return to competition in January from his left groin injury after attempting to ride last week to no avail…Castro is in Brazil visiting family and expects to return to competition next weekend in St. Louis…Salgado, Lima, Batista, Brito and Alves are all not competing because of personal reasons and are in Brazil.

SWEARINGEN BEGINS TITLE DEFENSE: Daylon Swearingen is attempting to become only the third rider in PBR history – and first American-born bull rider – to win back-to-back world titles. The only two riders in the PBR’s previous 29 seasons to win consecutive gold buckles is three-time World Champion Silvano Alves and two-time champ Jose Vitor Leme. Swearingen is set to begin his season against Otis in Round 1 on Saturday night. Otis is making his UTB debut, but he is 8-2 at other PBR events and takes a streak of eight consecutive buckoffs into the Grand Canyon State.

THE LONE REMATCH IN ROUND 1: There is only one rematch in Round 1 – Jesse Petri vs. Wicked Dreams. The two athletes last squared off in 2021 in Billings, Montana, with Wicked Dreams besting Petri in 2.35 seconds.

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

Photo courtesy of Andre Silva/Bull Stock Media