FORT WORTH, Texas – Following the opening three days of competition for the 2023 Ultimate Bullfighting (UBF) World Finals in Fort Worth, Texas, at the iconic Cowtown Coliseum, six of the nation’s best freestyle bullfighters advance to Championship Saturday of the six-day event which will crown the 2023 UBF World Champion. Malaqi Cook (Mineral Wells, Texas), Connor Quezada (Fruita, Colorado), Dylan Idleman (Madill, Oklahoma), Chance Moorman (Lytle, Texas), Noah Krepps (Jasper, Arkansas) and Connor Kimbrough (Athens, Ohio) remain in the hunt for the prestigious title and accompanying $50,000 bonus.

In freestyle bullfighting, a bullfighter competes for 60 seconds against a fighting bull predominantly of Spanish descent in an effort to score points for maneuvers performed during the one-minute competition. Unlike traditional bullfighting, the animals are not harmed. Bullfighters are judged solely on their ability to perform gravity-defying acrobatic stunts as close to the bull as possible without getting hit.

The competition began with Pool A on Thursday, Dec. 7, as Krepps, Emmett Walker (Weiser, Idaho), Zek Smith (Folkston, Georgia), Idleman, Cy Ferguson (Boyd, Texas) and Kimbrough all won their head-to-head showdowns to advance to the next round of the 2023 UBF World Finals.

UBF World Finals Iron Man Krepps began the tournament with a bang, punching his ticket to the next round of competition as he defeated Greg Howard (Dozier, Alabama) with ease, 86.5-78.5.

The second showdown was a duel between Walker and Jacorey Golden (Houston, Mississippi). Twenty-year-old rookie Walker edged Golden by four points, 79.5-75.5 to win his career first UBF World Finals matchup.

Smith earned the third direct berth the next round of action as he jumped his bovine athlete counterpart not once, but twice to beat Sam Marical (Ada, Oklahoma) by 2.5 points, 81.5-79.

After announcing his pending retirement from the sport of ultimate freestyle bullfighting prior to the start of the 2023 UBF World Finals, Idleman was a picture of perfection inside Cowtown Coliseum, advancing out of Pool A with a 0.5-point win again Dakota Martin (Hasting, Michigan).

UBF world No.3 Ferguson dazzled in pool play, delighting his home state crowd as he bested his opponent Colby Lindsey (Calvert City, Kentucky) 83-80.5.

The final showdown of Pool A was arguably the most exciting as Kimbrough, who was ranked outside the world’s Top 24 prior to the event, upset world No. 2 Broc Bowman (Barnsdall, Oklahoma), who was knocked down midway through his fight by Frog Creek Fighting Bulls’ Smoking Gun, by 2 points, 88.5-86.5. Kimbrough was a last-minute addition to the 2023 UBF World Finals, tapped to compete after Jackson Gregory (Bowling Green, Missouri) doctored out of competition. 

During Pool B on Friday, Dec. 8, 2021 UBF World Champion Knox Dunn (Montgomery, Louisiana), Ryan Fizer (Comanche, Texas), Cook, Quezada, Cauy Kraut (Wickenburg, Arizona), and two-time and reigning UBF World Champion Moorman all kept their title hopes alive.

Dunn was the first freestyle bullfighter to impress the electric Friday night crowd inside Cowtown Coliseum. His World Champion form was on full display as he throttled Trenton Ross (Jackson, Wyoming) 82-77.

Fizer’s tenacious spirt was showcased in his victory against Wagner Miqueline (Zacarias, Brazil). Despite getting roughed up by his bovine opponent, Fizer proved he had what it took, beating Miqueline by a commanding 10 points, 85-75.

The second upset of the 2023 UBF World Finals brough the raucous crowd to its feet as 19-year-old Cook made his UBF World Finals in impressive form, defeating veteran Tyler Washburn (White Cloud, Michigan) by 2.5 points, 83-80.5.

Quezada breezed through his Pool B showdown, earning his victory by the greatest margin across both pools. Taking on Dakota West (Weatherford, Texas), who was disqualified for not completing his fight, Quezada outscored him by 28.5 points, securing the win 85-56.5. During his fight, Quezada put the remainder of the field on notice, delivering daring moves to establish himself as a World Champion contender.  

The final two fights of Pool B featured Kraut and Moorman defeating Tyler Norton (Weatherford, Texas) and Dylan Murdock (Sikeston, Missouri). Kraut beat Norton by a mere 1 point, while Moorman, despite being tested to the limits by one of B-K Ranch’s top fighting bulls, emerged victorious against Murdock by 6 points. 

With six direct berths to Championship Saturday on the line, the final round of the opening weekend of the 2023 UBF World Finals came down to six showdowns as Cook took on Ferguson, Dunn squared off against Quezada, Smith faced off with Idleman, Fizer went toe-to-toe with Moorman, Kraut stepped out against Krepps, and Walker challenged Kimbrough.

Young gun Cook began the round in commanding form, delivering his second upset win as he beat world No. 3 Ferguson. The teenage sensation earned the golden finish by a slim 0.5 points, besting Ferguson 80.5-80.

During the second head-to-head showdown Saturday night, Quezada showed no signs of slowing down on the heels of his dominant Pool B win. He again advanced with ease, denying 2021 UBF World Champion Dunn a direct berth to the Semifinals by winning their matchup 86.5-83.5.

Idleman continued to dominate in his farewell tour as he prepares to embark on a career in law enforcement following an illustrious six-year tenure as a freestyle bullfighter. He punched his ticket to the semifinals of the 2023 UBF World Finals by beating Smith 81.5-75.5.

Moorman remains in the hunt for his unprecedented third UBF World Championship as he outscored the resilient Fizer by 4.5 points. While Moorman was unanticipatedly flipped forward by his bovine athlete opponent while he attempted to maneuver about the arena, he is expected to return at full force on Championship Saturday. 

In a UBF World Finals first, the showdown between Kraut and UBF World Finals Ironman Krepps ended in a tie, 85.5-85.5. The tie was broken by overall fighter score, with Krepps, who outfought Kraut by 1-point in the scoring category, advancing to Championship Saturday.

Kimbrough concluded the night with a win as he continued his Cinderella run through the tournament. After upsetting world No. 2 Bowman in Pool A, Kimbrough took 20-year-old rookie sensation Walker down with ease, proving his initial win was no fluke. Kimbrough delivered an 89.5-point score against a Fighting Bull of the Year nominee from renowned bullfighter Cody Webster, to beat Walker by 44.5 points in a showing of pure athletic dominance.  

The 2023 UBF World Finals continues Thursday, Dec. 14 when the 12 bullfighters who did not advance from the initial round of pool competition will go head-to-head in the Redemption Round.  The Wild Card Round will then be held on Friday, Dec. 15, including the six winning bullfighters from Dec. 14, and the six bullfighters who did not advance following the event on Dec. 9.

The intense competition for the 2023 UBF World Finals will come to a climactic end Saturday, Dec. 16 when the Top 6 bullfighters from Dec. 9, Cook, Quezada, Idleman, Moorman, Krepps and Kimbrough, and the Top 4 bullfighters from the Wild Card Round go head-to-head to earn one of four coveted positions in the winner-take-all shoot out round.

In the shoot-out championship round, the four advancing bullfighters will each take to the dirt one final time with the top performer being crowned the 2023 UBF World Champion and collecting the accompanying $25,000 bonus.

Tickets for the 2023 UBF World Finals are on sale now and can be purchased at AXS.com, or by visiting the Cowtown Coliseum Box Office.

General Admission tickets start at $35, taxes and fees not included. Seniors can purchase select seats for $30, while select tickets for children ages 2-13 are available for $15.

For more information about how to attend the 2023 UBF World Finals at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas, Dec. 7-16, visit ultimatebullfighters.com.

Photo courtesy of Andre Silva/Bull Stock Media