PUEBLO, Colo. — In a sport like bull riding, health is always going to be key.

It’s likely to be tied to a rider’s success, just the same.

But sometimes part of being a cowboy is taping up the glove extra tight and bearing through some bumps and bruises.

Just ask Braidy Randolph, who’s dealt with a handful of injuries over the past year in a half.

Nursing some leg concerns for what seems like quite some time, it was most recently a nasty wreck (causing some neck and back troubles) at the 2023 PBR Teams Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada, that caused him to take some extra time recovering.

Still able to exit T-Mobile Arena as part of his PBR Teams Champion Texas Rattlers squad, he was forced to sit out the remainder of the postseason competition after getting banged up during Friday night’s showdown against the Missouri Thunder.

Rested up and feeling as close to 100% as a professional cowboy can, he brought a renewed sense of both health and confidence into last weekend’s PBR St. Louis.

Both utterly apparent early on Friday night, as the rider bested Grindstone for 85.75 points during his return to competition.

“Oh yeah, it was good to come back and to get a bull rode,” Randolph shared moments after getting his 2024 campaign started with a qualified ride.

“I took a month off and when I was back home I went to a bunch of bull ridings and hit some practice pens. I got on about 18 bulls now and didn’t buck off a single one yet, so my momentum is carrying over and things are just working out.”

“Now I have to keep it going tomorrow.”

Practically speaking it into existence, he went on to extend his ride streak to two on Saturday night.

This time paired against Night Hawk, he doubled down, scored a sound 87.25 points.

Following the dismount, you could see the swag. The confidence. The smile.

Just as apparent, the celebration, for Randolph wasn’t just excited about his conversion.

He knew, and felt, that he was healthy once again.

Eventually dispatched from his short round opponent Soul King in 4.87 seconds, he was noticeably frustrated with himself during his trip back to the locker room.

Concluding the contest in sixth place, his 2-for-3 showcase was still a step in the right direction.

Most importantly, the 23-year-old plans to build on the positives rather than dwell on split milk.

“I have a real positive mindset right now with my riding, so I’m not too worried about it. I just have to keep going at it and take it one day at a time,” Randolph shared.

Balancing the realities of today while regarding the promising prospects of tomorrow, the Jonestown, Pennsylvania, native, who will compete in front of friends and family throughout the weekend just 160 miles away from his hometown, isn’t selling himself short on aspirations for the season.

“My goal this year is to win the world title, of course,” he offered.

“I don’t think I’m going to fall off a lot of bulls this year and think I’ll have a pretty high percentage. I want to ride around 75-80% of my bulls this year and I really believe that I can. We’ll go from there and just win as many events as I can. I don’t know what the record for most event wins is, but I don’t see why I can’t go and win 10 or 12 of them.”

Ranked No. 13 entering this weekend’s showcase, which kicks off a string of events taking place throughout the northeast this month, Randolph know what he needs to do to get the job done:

Believe in himself and trust his body.

Set to dance with Exodus during Friday night’s opening go, he’ll look to keep his encouraging start to the season alive while continuing to climb his way up the UTB standings, inching closer to his ultimate goal.

With the 2024 Unleash The Beast season set to continue in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Friday, Dec. 8, let’s take a look at who’s drawing into the lineup during this weekend’s PBR Johnstown:

ROUND 1 MATCHUPS *Daniel Keeping vs. Soul King *Wyatt Rogers vs. Rockville Thiago Salgado vs. Fierce’s Dirt Nap Joao Lucas Campos vs. Gucci Felipe Furlan vs. Highway 87 Conner Halverson vs. Kodiac Flavio Zivieri vs. Pearl Snapped Kaiden Loud vs. Copenhagen Wild Smile Daylon Swearingen vs. Cy Young Andrew Alvidrez vs. Hoka Hey Ednei Caminhas vs. Commissioner Jesse Petri vs. Fajita Brady Fielder vs. Haymaker *Austin Richardson vs. Casper Braidy Randolph vs. Exodus Dalton Kasel vs. Sky’s The Limit Julio Cesar Marques vs. Norse God *Silvano Alves vs. American Gangster Lucas Divino vs. Strong Arm Rafael dos Santos vs. Whiskey Trip Eli Vastbinder vs. Sonny B Luciano De Castro vs. Ivy League Trevor Kastner vs. Homeboy *Brady Oleson vs. Roc Wit It Vitor Losnake vs. Magic Carpet Koltin Hevalow vs. Bottom’s Up Ednelio Almeida vs. Preachers Kid *Wingson Henrique da Silva vs. Salty Brindle Trace Redd vs. The Undertaker Boudreaux Campbell vs. First Class Dener Barbosa vs. Pneu-Dart’s Chief Wahoo Alex Cerqueira vs. Black Squirrel Bob Mitchell vs. Mercy Alan de Souza vs. Pneu Dart’s Gold Standard Cody Jesus vs. Watch Out *Eduardo Aparecido vs. Punchy Pete Joao Ricardo Vieira vs. Bandito Bug Paulo Eduardo Rosseto vs. Centerfold Caden Bunch vs. Mr. Excavator Cassio Dias vs. The Judge

* denotes a rematch

OUT BECAUSE OF INJURY/OTHER Jess Lockwood Kaique Pacheco Dakota Buttar Mason Taylor Chase Outlaw Marcus Mast Derek Kolbaba Colten Fritzlan Tate Pollmeier Wingson Henrique da Silva Elizmar Jeremias Nick Tetz Jose Vitor Leme Keyshawn Whitehorse Briggs Madsen John Crimber Sage Kimzey

ROUND 1 REMATCHES Austin Richardson vs. Casper (4.46 seconds in Los Angeles, California; 6.24 seconds in Fort Worth, Texas) Brady Oleson vs. Roc Wit It (2.24 seconds in St. Louis, Missouri) Daniel Keeping vs. Soul King (4.05 seconds in Albuquerque, New Mexico) Eduardo Aparecido vs. Punchy Pete (2.45 seconds in Fort Worth, Texas) Silvano Alves vs. American Gangster (3.92 seconds in Guthrie, Oklahoma; 5.28 seconds in New York City, New York) Wingson Henrique da Silva vs. Salty Brindle (6.89 seconds in Indianapolis, Indiana) Wyatt Rogers vs. Rockville (2.45 seconds in Kansas City, Missouri; 7.61 seconds in Milwaukee, Wisconsin)

CASSIO DIAS SET TO DEFEND 60.5-POINT LEAD IN JOHNSTOWN If you haven’t heard, there’s a new No. 1 in (Johns)town, and his name is Cassio Dias. Just five days after capturing his career-first Unleash The Beast event title in St. Louis, Missouri, courtesy of his second flawless 3-for-3 performance, Dias is primed to dance with The Judge during the final out of Friday’s Round 1 as he looks to build on his perfect 6-for-6 start to his rookie premier series campaign. After besting Buzz for 87.5 points in last weekend’s opening round, he doubled down in Round 2, dancing with Hunted Down for 86.25 points. With his short round ticket punched and a date with Mike’s Motive awaiting, he went on to seal the deal courtesy of an event-best 90.5-point conversion.

NO. 9 CODY JESUS RETURNS TO ACTION After missing last weekend’s showdown in St. Louis, using one of his excused absences, No. 9 Cody Jesus is set to return to competition Friday night beginning with his matchup against Watch Out. Turning in a fifth-place finish during the tour’s season-opener in Tucson, Arizona, Nov. 10-11, Jesus has enjoyed nearly a month away from the premier series circuit, which should be him in a good position to come out firing on all cylinders inside 1st Summit Arena @ Cambria War Memorial. Looking back to his flawless performance inside Tucson Arena, Jesus first teamed up with July for a quality 88.5 points. Going head-to-head with Taylor’s Cowtown Throwdown as Saturday dawned, he again converted, this time for 83.75 points. Earning a trip to the championship round in his first opportunity of the season, he climbed aboard Joy’s Bang Bang through the requisite 8, eventually scored 89.5 points: good for the third-best score in the round and event overall. If the talented 25-year-old can keep his ride streak alive Friday in Johnstown, he’ll very much be a threat to post another encouraging showcase throughout the weekend.

FOLLOW ALONG The three-day, four-round showcase inside 1st Summit Arena @ Cambria War Memorial is set to begin Friday, Dec. 8 at 7:45 p.m. EST Round 1 and continues Saturday, Dec. 9 at 6:45 p.m. EST, with both rounds being broadcast via RidePass on Pluto TV. The third round and championship go are slated to begin Sunday, Dec. 10 at 1:45 p.m. EST and air live on CBS Sports Network at 2 p.m. EST.

Fans can stay tuned to PBR.com and PBR social media channels throughout the weekend for the latest scores, wrecks, injury updates and beyond as Unleash The Beast prepares to invade Johnstown during the third event of the 2024 season!

Photo courtesy of Todd Brewer/Bull Stock Media