PUEBLO, Colo. – If there’s one word to describe Kaique Pacheco, it’s consistent.

The 28-year-old debuted in the United States in 2014 and, in 2015, followed that up with Rookie of the Year honors and a No. 3 finish in the world standings.

Since then, Pacheco has been one of the most reliable performers on the premier series, winning the 2018 World Championship and finishing No. 2 three times – 2016, 2021, and 2022. Injuries kept him out for most of 2019, which turned into a lost season, but he finished No. 5 in 2017 and No. 7 in 2020.

Simply put: a healthy Kaique Pacheco can out-ride just about anyone.

“Since I start, I always have a dream to become a World Champion, and I work really hard to make that happen,” Pacheco said last month at the PBR Union Home Mortgage Invitational in New Orleans. “It’s really important for me. It makes me really happy.”

Pacheco was in fine form this past weekend at the PBR PREMIER Bank/PREMIER Bankcard Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, winning Round 1 and finishing third overall.

Thanks to his efforts, he also took over the No. 1 spot in the Unleash The Beast standings, moving ahead of No. 2 Jose Vitor Leme by the slightest of margins – 2.5 points.

In 2023, Pacheco has two event wins and a 15/15 Bucking Battle win under his belt. This follows up a stellar 2022 that, yes, saw him finish No. 2 in the world title race again but win the inaugural PBR Team Series Championship with the Nashville Stampede in November.

Head coach Justin McBride is in awe of his superstar and quiet team leader.

“It’s insane,” McBride said this weekend on CBS Sports Network. “Look, you talk about the consistency with this guy, the consistency with his routine – just everything that he does is about being a better bull rider. I don’t care if you catch him on Tuesday afternoon. He’s doing something about being a better bull rider.”

Pacheco is known for his stoic demeanor – earning the nickname “the Ice Man” for his lack of visible emotion – and his work ethic.

Even in 2018, thus far the crowning achievement of his career, he had to bear down and ice what could’ve been a disastrous situation.

He started the year slow, winning two 15/15 Bucking Battles but not even placing in eight of the first 12 events. But in March, he started climbing back with a string of Top-5 finishes, winning his first event in April before winning four more down the stretch to head into the 2018 PBR World Finals in the No. 1 spot.

“I think that’s the life we have, ups and downs,” Pacheco said. “You never can stop. You need to keep going, keep working hard.”

But he was almost forced to stop at the Velocity Tour Finals, as just days before the World Finals, he injured his knee.

“That’s a really important season for me, and I think one of the hardest, because before World Finals, I tore ligaments, my MCL and my PCL,” Pacheco said. “And I don’t give up. I try hard and, no matter what, try to make my job.

“Yeah, I think about (the injury), but I say to myself, ‘I won’t let that injury stop me. I will give my best to ride my bulls and try to make my job no matter what.’”

And he did just that, outpacing – who else? – Jose Vitor Leme to win the world title.

“That’s the dream for every bull rider,” Pacheco said. “Just thankful to God to support me all the time and give me strength. You need to believe in yourself and try hard, work hard, believe in your dreams.”

In the last 10 years, Pacheco has done just that and is now considered one of the best bull riders in PBR history – though he considers J.B. Mauney, “the real cowboy,” to be the greatest of all time.

Pacheco will be in action this weekend at the PBR Gem State Bucking Battle, presented by Cooper Tires, in Nampa, Idaho, as he chases a second world title. Round 1 airs live at 9:45 p.m. ET on Friday, April 7, on RidePass on Pluto TV.

“Since I decided to be a bull rider, that’s my dream, to come to the U.S. and be a World Champion,” Pacheco said. “Everything I do is for that.”

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media