PUEBLO, Colo. – While we’re not sure how big of a Bon Jovi fan Dener Barbosa is, we can 100% confirm that he’s re-sparked his passion for bull riding.

Ever evident, as the veteran has turned in three-consecutive Top 10 finishes within Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour events (PWVT). Two of which stand out a bit, as the 29-year-old recently captured consecutive event buckles in Memphis, Tennessee (Feb. 17) and Hampton, Virginia (Feb. 23), courtesy of a combined 4-for-5 effort.

RELATED: 2024 Unleash The Beast Game Notes: Milwaukee

Not to downplay the Brazilian’s sixth-place finish in Knoxville, Tennessee, last weekend by any means.

But with the Unleash The Beast’s ever-changing Qualifier List (the main avenue a rider can earn their premier series status) welcoming riders who have collectively performed the best throughout their last four PBR-sanctioned events, that pair of event-winning efforts drastically makes Barbosa the most proven cowboy amongst guys who have grinded their way back in this week’s class of promoted riders.

Spending the past month and a half re-dedicating himself to the sport he loves, he seems to be on quite the mission to turn his season around after beginning his UTB season with an uncharacteristic 2-for-8 start.

Able to begin his 2024 campaign with a qualified ride (86 points atop Nitty Gritty) in St. Louis, Missouri, he undoubtedly started the season on a high note.

But between getting roughed up a bit in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and returning to the tour to produce a combined 1-for-6 effort, which included a four-out buckoff streak, Barbosa wasn’t riding to his potential. And before long, he found himself competing on the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour.

Racking up 10 qualified rides (10-for-17) competing in various Touring Pro Division (PBR Stockyards Showcase) and Pendleton Whiskey Velocity Tour events as he traveled the country alongside 40+ men who also wanted a shot on the big stage, Barbosa wasn’t viewed as some sort of prophetic example for riders to mold their lives after.

He was, quite literally, a living, breathing example of what one of the world’s best bull riders, should, and continues to, look and ride like.

Like a man who’s finished amongst the Top 13 riders (2021: sixth, 2022: 13th, 2023: sixth) in each of the past three seasons.

Like a man who’s arguably one of the hottest riders in the industry and even more excited to get back into the locker room with his closest friends.

Like a man that fans can expect to see return to action this weekend in Milwaukee much closer to the No. 6 overall version of himself that than the man who climbed into the chutes four months ago.

And when the “Dener” bell rings, just like the final meal of the day, it always delivers.

Set to enter a Saturday night showdown against Living On A Prayer, we’ll see if he can make it more than “Half way there” as the storied cowboy would greatly benefit from a qualified ride in Round 1 as he rejoins the premier series pack.

Primed to make his return to the premier series tour for the first time since turning in an 18th place effort in Tulsa, Oklahoma (Jan. 19-20), he isn’t the only fresh face preparing to compete on the Unleash The Beast this weekend in Milwaukee for the first time in a while.

Among the others making their return, Thiago Salgado has kicked up the most dust of the group. Since beginning the season just 1-for-9 on UTB, he went on to convert in each of his next six outs as he made some noise during a string of favorable finishes at PBR Stockyards Showcase events in Fort Worth, Texas.

Continuing to regularly attend the weekly Thursday night showdown inside the legendary Cowtown Coliseum, Salgado began ramping up his workload once again, entering his name in several PWVT events. Which has worked out for the 21-year-old talent, as he’s managed his way back to the premier series with plenty of time to make a run at the 2024 World Finals: Unleash The Beast.

Picking up a pair of wins during his last two events (including victories at both the Kubota PBR Knoxville and last week’s iteration of the PBR Stockyards Showcase) and matching it with a seventh-place effort at the same event a few weeks prior, he’s punched his ticket back to the show once again! Tasked with Medicine Red in Round 1, he’ll look to make the most of his opportunity.

Just like Hunter Ball and Joao Paulo Fernandes, who have earned the right to compete in Milwaukee in their own rights. For Carsonville, Michigan, native in Ball, he’s getting his second look of the season after going rideless during his appearances in Sacramento, California, and Houston, Texas. Walking away from last weekend’s PWVT showcase in Bridgeport, Connecticut, with the win, he’s combined that with a third-place showing in Reading, Pennsylvania, to get his shot Saturday night.

Meanwhile for Fernandes, who is set to make his Unleash The Beast debut inside Fiserv Forum, it was his big win in Worcester, Massachusetts, and third-place showing in Youngstown, Ohio, which propelled the 28-year-old Brazilian to the brightest lights in the business. And in a season full of rookie success, it would be rather fitting if the talent came out and put on a show during the biggest night of his career!

With another set of cuts coming in two weeks, following the PBR Little Rock, riders will be need to be ranked inside the Top 32 in order to secure their spots, with exceptions for riders with injured or exempt status.

Between the fresh wave of hungry returners, spicy class of first-year competitors and pack-dominant veterans, you won’t want to miss this one as UTB doubles down in the Midwest!

So be sure to grab your tickets or tune in on Saturday and get ready for some RANK bull riding action!

With Unleash The Beast preparing to invade Fiserv Forum Saturday night during the 15th event of the 2024 Unleash The Beast campaign March 9-10, let’s take a look at who’s drawing into the lineup during the PBR Milwaukee Presented by Cooper Tires:

ROUND 1 MATCHUPS Silvano Alves vs. Train Station *Hunter Ball vs. Mr. Excavator Marco Eguchi vs. (The Undertaker Conner Halverson vs. Tricked Out Thiago Salgado vs. Medicine Red Clay Guiton vs. Creek Bob Mitchell vs. Slingin’ It Felipe Furlan vs. My Bad Michael Lane vs. Roc Solid Dener Barbosa vs. Living On A Prayer Joao Paulo Fernandes vs. Studzilla Boudreaux Campbell vs. Bottom’s Up Callum Miller vs. Heater Jake Gardner vs. Tijuana Two-Step Keyshawn Whitehorse vs. Bouchon Kaique Pacheco vs. Badger Alex Cerqueira vs. Reinstate Hank Ednelio Almeida vs. Lapua Luciano De Castro vs. Total Air Mauricio Gulla Moreira vs. Constitutional Carry Cort McFadden vs. Blackstone Vitor Losnake vs. Pookie Holler *Daylon Swearingen vs. Sneaky Situation Jesse Petri vs. Texas Rain Paulo Eduardo Rossetto vs. Burning Man *Wingson Henrique da Silva vs. Salty Brindle Kaiden Loud vs. Cash is King Caden Bunch vs. Cookies & Cream Brady Fielder vs. Bullet Train Koltin Hevalow vs. Cutthroat Julio Cesar Marques vs. Mike’s Motive *Eduardo Aparecido vs. Sky Walker Joao Ricardo Vieira vs. Skippy Dalton Kasel vs. Gucci Alan de Souza vs. 2 Words John Crimber vs. ProVantage Night Stalker Cassio Dias vs. Wicked Warrior * denotes a rematch OUT BECAUSE OF INJURY/OTHER Austin Richardson (Injury) Cody Jesus (Injury) Sage Kimzey (Injury) Jose Vitor Leme (Injury) Leonardo Castro (Injury) Jess Lockwood (Injury) Joao Lucas Campos (Injury) Dawson Branton (Injury) Dakota Buttar (Injury) Chase Outlaw (Injury) Marcus Mast (Injury) Derek Kolbaba (Injury) Colten Fritzlan (Injury) ROUND 1 REMATCHES Daylon Swearingen vs. Sneaky Situation (2.47 seconds in Salt Lake City, Utah; 3.82 seconds in St. Michael, North Dakota) Eduardo Aparecido vs. Sky Walker (89.25 points in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) Hunter Ball vs. Mr. Excavator (3.22 seconds in Shipshewana, Indiana) Wingson Henrique da Silva vs. Salty Brindle (5.13 seconds in Johnstown, Pennsylvania; 6.89 seconds in Indianapolis, Indiana) BANGED-UP NO. 1 CASSIO LOSING GROUND AS NO. 4 DALTON KASEL HEATS UP While the entire industry is aware that No. 1 Cassio Dias is a bit banged up, as he continues to battle what appears to be a knee injury, it’s still taken some getting used to as we watch one of the sport’s most talented riders try to gut his way through the nagging injury. What’s been even more uncomfortable for the rider and fans alike: The idea that he’s just 1-for-4 throughout his past two events. Which is far from the normal heroics the skilled Brazilian typically provides. Still sitting atop the Unleash The Beast World Championship standings, he’s seen his once-dramatic lead seemingly disappear before his eyes, as the tour’s leader is currently just 276.5 UTB points ahead of No. 2 John Crimber. His lead could’ve, and should’ve, been further reduced, too. But a rare 1-for-3 performance from the budding superstar in Crimber allowed Dias to shrug off the slow weekend on his end for the most part.

While Crimber is very much one of the many talented riders more than capable of eventually usurping Dias in both the overall UTB rankings and 2024 Rookie of the Year race, it’s been one of the tour’s established veterans in Dalton Kasel who’s been applying the most pressure as of late. Bringing a perfect 6-for-6 ride streak into this weekend’s midwestern showdown in Milwaukee, Kasel earned a runner-up finish in Jacksonville, Florida, two weekends ago before kicking it up a notch during the tour’s most recent showcase in Indianapolis, Indiana. Opting into a “Money Bull” dance with a UTB regular in I’m Legit Too (which, somehow, was the pair’s first time competing together), Kasel selected the bull he knew he could both ride, and win the event on, and proceeded to do just that, courtesy of the duo’s 88.25-point score. Now just 341.33 UTB points back from the Kansas City Outlaws’ standout in Dias, “Mr. 90 Points” will look to stay hot this weekend inside Fiserv Center during his opening round attempt aboard Gucci, while Dias will go head-to-head against Wicked Warrior.

NO. 5 EDUARDO APARECIDO MAKING A RUN FOR NO. 1 If there’s a rider heading into the weekend who’s both earned a favorable standing nearly two-thirds of the way through the 2024 campaign yet quietly flown under the radar in doing so, it’s 100% No. 5 Eduardo Aparecido, who finds himself just 411.83 UTB points back of the top-ranked Dias. Watching on last weekend in Indianapolis as Kasel went on to seal the deal during the final out of the event, it was Aparecido who ended up bringing home the runner-up finish as a result, albeit a mere 1.5 aggregate score points behind the Muleshoe, Texas, native.

Regularly putting his skills on display this season, he’s arguably been one of the hottest riders throughout the past 10 months or so, as he spent the majority of last summer lighting up scoreboards for his Arizona Ridge Riders squad (including a stunning 3-for-4 showcase at the 2023 PBR Teams Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada). Picking up where he left off as the 2024 Unleash The Beast season rolled around, he’s been one of the most consistent and top-tiered riders since kicking off his campaign in St. Louis, Missouri. Most recently assembling a 3-for-3, second-place effort in Indy, (capped, of course, by his epic out dancing with Mike’s Motive in the short go) he’s now got three podium finishes on the season en route to racking up five Top 10 results, having covered at least one bull in 11 of his 13 events attended. Set to embrace a Round 1 rematch out with Sky Walker (whom the rider bested for 89.25 points at Freedom Days during the 2023 PBR Teams season in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), Aparecido will continue to chase down his first event win of the year inside Fiserv Forum Saturday night.

FOLLOW ALONG Representing the 15th event of the 2024 Unleash The Beast season, the two-day, three-round showcase in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is set to begin Saturday, March 9 at 6:30 p.m. CST, with Round 1 airing live via RidePass on Pluto TV.

Round 2’s action will begin Sunday, March 10 at 5 p.m. CST, followed by the short go, with all of championship Sunday’s action slated to air live on CBS Sports Network.

Fans can also catch all three rounds of action on TUDN, with Round 1 set to air on Saturday, March 10 at 2 p.m. CST and all of championship Sunday’s outs airing on Sunday, March 11 at 2 p.m. CST.

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 Fiserv Forum March 9-10!

Photo courtesy of Josh Homer/Bull Stock Media