FAIRFAX. Va. – Joao Paulo Fernandes (Hidrolina, Brazil) was unrivalled in Fairfax, Virginia, going a perfect 3-for-3 and sweeping the competition to win the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Challenger Series’ Fairfax Invitational.

Fernandes jumped to an early lead in Round 1 on Saturday when he posted the top score, marked 85.5 points atop Stray Bullet (J Bar W).

The surging Brazilian then extended his lead in the second round Sunday afternoon, when he again delivered the high-marked ride, awarded 87.5 points atop Donkey (Lucas Manning Bucking Bulls).

As the last man to leave the chutes, Fernandes faced off with Punkin Eater (J Bar W) as his final animal athlete opponent. He completed his perfect sweep of the event, and cemented his victory when he won the championship round with an 83-point effort.

Courtesy of the golden finish, Fernandes left EagleBank Arena with 164 Challenger Series points.

Jefferson Silva (Somerville, Massachusetts) was second, netting 68 Challenger Series points.

Silva went 1-for-3, logging his lone score of the event in the opening round of the PBR Fairfax Invitational, topping Big Gulp (J Bar W) for 82 points.

Third was Eli Byler (Nashville, Ohio).

After being bucked off by Oklahoma Smokeshow (Dave Martin/Mike Miller Bucking Bulls) in 4.88 seconds in Round 1, the Ohio native returned determined in Round 2.

Righting his momentum, Byler rode Red Bull (J Bar W) for 80 points to punch his ticket to the championship round.

Byler, however, fell short of a second consecutive score in the final round when he was upended by The Fray (Mike Miller Bucking Bulls) in 4.59 seconds.

When the dust settled, Byler collected 54 Challenger Series points.

Cole Trivette (Statesville, North Carolina) was fourth, earning 37 Challenger Series points, courtesy of his 76.5-point ride atop Blaze (J Bar W).

Rounding out the Top 5 in fifth was Gabriel Honorato (Mendes Pimental, Brazil).

Honorato made the 8 in Round 2, awarded 73 points on Big Time Gangster (Mike Miller Bucking Bulls) to ultimately earn him 26 Challenger Series points.

In the bull pen, My Buddy Taco (Dave Martin/Mike Miller Bucking Bulls) bucked a cut above the rest, crowned the Bull of the Event. The powerful animal athlete scored an unrivaled 43.5 points in the championship round for his 2.04-second trip with Trivette.

The PBR Challenger Series next travels to Fort Worth, Texas, and Cowtown Coliseum for the weekly Stockyards Showcase on Thursday, Sept. 28. Action gets underway at 7:30 p.m. CDT.

PBR Challenger Series PBR Fairfax Invitational EagleBank Arena – Fairfax, Virginia  Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3- Event Aggregate-Event Points) 1. Joao Paulo Fernandes, 85.5-87.5-83-256.00-164 Points. 2. Jefferson Silva, 82-0-0-82.00-68 Points. 3. Eli Byler, 0-80-0-80.00-54 Points. 4. Cole Trivette, 76.5-0-0-76.50-37 Points. 5. Gabriel Honorato, 0-73-0-73.00-26 Points. 6. Dustin Herman, 64.5-0-0-64.50-20 Points. 7. Gabriel Thiago Da Silva, 0-60-0-60.00-14 Points. Cody McCandless, 0-0-0-0.00 Michael Phillips, 0-0-0-0.00 Zane Cook, 0-0-0-0.00 Michael Lane, 0-0-0-0.00 Dylan Smith, 0-0-0-0.00 Ricky Aguiar, 0-0-0-0.00 Eder Barbosa, 0-0-0-0.00 Alex Jenks, 0-0-0-0.00 Matt Allgood, 0-0-0-0.00 Varnei José Santana Junio, 0-0-0-0.00 Marcelo Procopio Pereira, 0-0-0-0.00 Colt Robinson, 0-0-0-0.00 Alex Cantoral, 0-0-0-0.00 Eloisio Boaventura, 0-0-0-0.00 Matt Oliver, 0-0-0-0.00 Esvin Garcia, 0-0-0-0.00 Brandon Ferguson, 0-0-0-0.00 Emiliano Brito, 0-0-0-0.00 Raliston Dias, 0-0-0-0.00 Garrett Drake, 0-0-0-0.00 Leandro Aparecido da Silva, 0-0-0-0.00 Sergio Cantoral, 0-0-0-0.00 Wengleiman Peres, 0-0-0-0.00

Photo courtesy of Andre Silva/Bull Stock Media