EUGENE, Ore. – There are a lot of ways to stand out during one’s inaugural trip around the Unleash The Beast tour. Ranking among the leaders for the Rookie of the Year honors is always a good start.

Ranking No. 5 at the halfway point of the season is a totally different expectation, but that’s exactly where Rafael Jose de Brito finds himself after finishing a flawless 3-for-3 showcase in Eugene, Oregon.

First besting Reba McEntire’s The Hammer for 87 points in Round 1 Friday evening, the talented Brazilian felt good and looked even better inside Matthew Knight Arena, feeling himself again.

“I was having some personal problems, issues, but all of that is done now,” de Brito shared with Kate Harrison, courtesy of some translation assistance from Paulo Crimber.

“I came here with a clear mind for bull riding and I want to stay in this world title race.”

Continuing to compete with the world’s best riders, de Brito returned for a second day of action in the Pacific Northwest, with a few other intentions as well.

Next up on the to-do list?

Making the championship round, winning the event and overtaking No. 6 Daniel Keeping in the 2023 Rookie of the Year standings.

Courtesy of a second round matchup against All Shook Up, the 30-year-old again showcased the will to succeed, earning an impressive 88-point score as the crowd went wild in adoration.

Now 2-for-2 on the weekend, the Potirendaba, Brazil, native wished to go toe-to-toe with Black Gold, selecting the bovine for his short round opponent. Having never surrendered a ride, boasting a perfect 13-0 record coming into Saturday, the animal athlete and de Brito paired up to put on a show.

Delivering the high-scored ride of the event, and just one of four to meet the elite 90-point mark all weekend, the surging Brazilian held on for a show-busting 91 points.

“We’ve got a guy that is really emerging before our eyes into a complete bull rider, and that’s so cool to see,” Justin McBride offered on the CBS Sports Network broadcast.

Coming out and finishing your business when the lights shine brightest is a good way of capturing some attention for sure, but an even better way to earn the true prizes, a nice check and a healthy serving of UTB points.

Not to mention the rookie’s first-ever Unleash The Beast event title.

“This guy is now a real force to be reckoned with. Making rides like this, the rides that he made to get to this round, riding bulls going either direction," McBride continued.

“This is what you call a rank bull, a big strong, really good bull and just a great ride, total domination.”

“A lot of the guys are capable, it’s about which guy can focus on the task at hand and trust his ability,” McBride concluded. “You saw de Brito ride a lot of different types of bulls to get to that championship round, and then nailed it.”

The productive showcase marked de Brito’s third flawless weekend of the year, while he and his fellow countrymen were able to secure four of the Top 5 spots as the event concluded.

“I’m very happy and I thank God for giving me the strength and the will to stay here and do what I love to do,” de Brito shared.

“I’m very happy to earn this buckle and want to thank all of the fans and the PBR, it was an awesome event.”

Now just 280 UTB points back from No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme in the race to be crowned the 2023 World Champion, who managed 12.5 UTB points amidst his 12th place finish, the dedicated cowboy will get his next chance to close the gap this coming weekend as the premier series tour gets set to invade Los Angeles Feb. 25-26 at the PBR SoCal Showdown.

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media