PUEBLO, Colo. – No matter how you slice it, No. 1 Cassio Dias has been the definition of unstoppable as he continues to blaze his way through one of PBR’s most heavily-decorated campaigns in the organization’s 30-plus years of rank bull riding action!
Which isn’t a new concept, by any means, for the skilled Brazilian.
But after seeing the talented 22-year-old secure his tour-leading SIXTH event title of the 2024 Unleash The Beast season, he’s officially putting himself within striking distance of the current record.
Quickly approaching a pair of two-time World Champions in Justin McBride and Jose Vitor Leme, who continue to share the premier series record of eight wins each, respectively, Dias is now just two more event titles away from tour glory. And with four regular season events remaining before the 2024 PBR World Finals; Unleash The Beast invade Fort Worth and Arlington, Texas, May 9-19 for two weeks of epic Western sports action, there’s plenty of time for the superstar Brazilian to meet the mark.
If not pass it.
While we know Dias has been dominant this season, when we put his fiery 2024 efforts into perspective, it truly speaks to just how many cuts above the competition the first-year rider is currently operating at.
And with all the hooplah the cowboy has created, the premier series tour is going to be rewarded one way or another, as Dias can either put a cap on his runaway campaign while securing the 2024 PBR Rookie of the Year honors and accompanying 2024 World Champion honors …
… or we could witness what would be one of the greatest comebacks in PBR history, should No. 2 John Crimber, No. 3 Dalton Kasel or any of the talented pack riders kick things into gear here and throughout the three-stage, postseason gauntlet.
At this point, the safe bet would be on Dias, as he continues to light the circuit on fire via eye-popping accolades:
Dias has recorded a tour-high eight 90-point rides, twice as many as No. 2 John Crimber
Sitting atop the qualified ride column with 33, he’s managed seven more conversions than No. 5 Alan de Souza
With six event wins to his name, he easily paces the pack, now with four more than No. 7 Austin Richardson (who is expected to miss the remainder of the 2024 season due to injury) and No. 9 Caden Bunch, who are the only other riders to double down in the win column thus far
RELATED: #InCaseYouMissedIt: Dias chasing history with sixth win of the season
Completing 58 total premier series attempts, he’s now participated in seven more than No. 6 Koltin Hevalow
Having already brought home a tour-high $383,919.67, the Brazilian has earned $190,884.67 more than No. 4 Eduardo Aparecido (more than double what the veteran has taken home in the same amount of time), who sits No. 2 on the tour’s earnings list in 2024
Tying a pair of fellow youngsters in Thiago Salgado and Marco Rizzo for the Round 3 win via the trio’s matching 87-point scores, Dias teamed up with Blown Away to secure his 11th round win of the season
But if you ask us, it’s his tour-high 12th round win that was his most impressive feat of the weekend.
Besting one of the fiercest bovines in the business for an event-clinching 90.5 points, Dias exited his head-to-head showdown with Ricky Vaughn in epic fashion.
The only way he knows how:
In helmet-flinging, shark cage-dancing and fan-waving fashion!
Ending his weekend 3-for-4 overall, the dominant performance represented the rider’s tour-best SEVENTH weekend with three qualified rides (with his 3-for-4 showing at the season-opener in Tucson, Arizona, being the lone event in which he rode three bulls but didn’t capture the event title).
Earning 165 UTB points for his standout performance (the second-highest single-event total in the young talent’s ever-growing career) and eclipsing the $50,000 earnings mark for the third time this season (via taking home a big ole check for $50,683.67), he’s now 580.5 UTB points ahead of his closest competitor, No. 2 John Crimber.
So, if it’s an epic comeback you’re looking for, get your tickets to next month’s 2024 PBR World Finals: Championship and get your Crimber and Kasel hats ready.
RELATED: Secure your tickets to the 2024 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast Today!
But if it’s Dias you’re rooting for, all you need to do is sit back and enjoy the ride, as he’s set to put on quite the show here during the tour’s final six weekends of rank bull riding!
With Unleash The Beast continuing to wrap up the regular season stretch inside First Interstate Arena at MetraPark April 12-14 during the 20th regular season event of the 2024 premier series slate in Billings, Montana, we’re taking a quick look back at some of the numerical takeaways from last weekend’s First Premier Bank PBR Sioux Falls, presented by Cooper Tires during this week’s By the Numbers!
Second-Straight Second Place: Dias may have stolen the show once again, but just nine points back in last weekend’s aggregate score was No. 5 Alan de Souza, who’s now turned in consecutive runner-up efforts in continuing to climb the 2024 Unleash The Beast World Championship standings. Opening his showcase Friday night with a quality 82.75-point ride aboard Red Scorpion, the veteran eventually stumbled during his Round 2 showdown, dispatched by God Bless America. However, the 30-year-old understands his goals for the season, and in order to achieve them, he knows he needs to ride some bulls here over the home stretch. Exactly what he did on championship Sunday.
Punching his ticket to the short round via his third-round conversion dancing with Badlands (albeit scored just 81.5 points), Souza opted into a Round 4 dance with none other than No. 4-ranked Flyin Wired, who helped the talented Brazilian record the highest premier series score of his budding career. Matching the prized bovine’s every move, Souza completed his weekend with a 3-for-4 record en route to securing a prized 109 UTB points. Combining the 113.5 UTB points from his second-place finish the following weekend in Nampa, Idaho, Souza has now garnered 222.5 UTB points via his last two favorable finishes as he continues to chase down Dias and company. Having covered at least one bull in 14 of the 17 contests in which he’s participated in, he’s definitely a cowboy to keep our eye on here during the late-season push!
RELATED: No. 5 Alan de Souza turns in second-straight runner-up effort in Sioux Falls
From Down Under to Top 10: As Unleash The Beast continues to welcome the top talents from the around the world, Australian sensation Brady Fielder has been one of the most electric international talents on tour this season, now 18-for-50 (36%) after posting an encouraging 2-for-4 showcase in Sioux Falls last weekend. Seemingly coming out of nowhere, Fielder failed to make the 8 in both of his opening round matchups, as Sky’s The Limit and Full Throttle exited the early-event matchups in the win column. But with just 13 combined qualified rides recorded throughout Rounds 1 and 2, Fielder was invited to the third-round showdown via his tour ranking. An opportunity he wouldn’t waste.
Delivering a sound 84-point conversion dancing with Gaucho, the Australian cowboy secured a spot in the short round, where he doubled down and turned his slow start into another Top 5 finish. Scored a rank 89 points for his work of art atop Big Bank (his third-highest mark of the season), Fielder re-entered the Top 10 within the tour’s standings by taking home a much-needed 79 UTB points as he looks to stay out of the Danger Zone here during the final four regular season events. Finishing just half of a point (.5) ahead of fourth-place contestant Marco Rizzo, a rookie who’s continued to drive his 2024 PBR Teams New Rider Draft stock through the ceiling (taking place Wednesday night, with all eyes on the Oklahoma Wildcatters and New York Mavericks), as the fourth and final rider able to ride at least two bulls inside Denny Sanford Premier Center.
Wyatt Rogers Round 2 Win: Starting the premier series season on a productive note, Wyatt Rogers turned in a fruitful 2-for-3 effort during the campaign-opener in Tucson, Arizona. Able to piece together a few rides as the season progressed to stay competing on the top tour, he was eventually relegated to the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour (PWVT) in early February after a rideless performance at the second PBR Major of the season in Sacramento, California.
That’s all in the past now, as the big-bodied rider returned to UTB action in a BIG way.
Representing his first premier series conversion in nearly three months (with his last successful go coming back on Jan. 12 in Chicago, when he turned in an 86.5-point ride aboard Caesar), Rogers put his 85-day premier series rideless streak in the rearview, officially riding his way not only to the qualified ride circle but placing himself atop the leaderboard in round-winning fashion. Scored an epic 88.25 points, the electric dance serves as the cowboy’s highest-marked ride on Unleash The Beast while qualifying as his second-best score to date (with his 88.5-point score from last summer’s Thunder on Hooves Challenger Series event continuing to mark his top-scored out).
With no riders able to go 2-for-2, he sat atop the leaderboard as day three dawned. While he wasn’t able to best either of his championship Sunday opponents, he still turned in his career-best finish on the top tour, earning 51 UTB points for his fifth-place finish. The Hulbert, Oklahoma, native must enjoy something about Denny Sanford Premier Center, as his sixth-place effort from last season previously marked his UTB-best placement. Ranked No. 37 as the tour prepares to invade Billings, Montana, April 12-14, he will need to continue his upward ascension if he wants to secure a spot at the 2024 PBR World Finals: Eliminations inside Cowtown Coliseum May 9-12!
7, 6, 5: Friday night’s Round 1 featured the second-fewest qualified rides during an opening round this season as the top tour’s powerful animal athletes began the weekend with a dominant showcase. Allowing just seven rides throughout 41 opportunities (38 riders + three re-ride attempts), it was Mike’s Magic and Hell Right which bucked a cut above, as the bovines posted matching 44-point bull scores to lead the pack. While the first eight riders of the event were unable to find the whistle, it was Vitor Losnake who broke the slow streak, courtesy of his 86.25-point dance with Strong Arm.
While it was rookie and 2023 INFR Champion JaCauy Hale who picked up his first premier series round win via a strong 87.5-point effort aboard Snap Chatter (his re-ride bull), the bull-dominated round now ranks amongst the least-productive long round results all season (for riders, at least!), with five qualified rides coming during the opening round in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and six earned during Round 3 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the site of UTB’s final PBR Major of the 2024 season.
Which the bulls must’ve known following the opening round, as the powerful bovines accepted the challenge when Saturday’s showcase rolled around. Limiting the pack to just six total qualified rides, one fewer than in Round 1, fans inside Denny Sanford Premier Center watched on as riders hit the dirt at an above-average rate. When the second round came to a close, just six of the 41 outs earned a ride score, thus bringing the two-day total to an unlucky 13 conversions throughout the first 82 attempts of the weekend (with riders converting in just 15.9% of their opportunities and bulls exiting their matchups with an outstanding 84.1%-win rate).
Okay, fine, the weekend in totality belonged to the bulls, as riders managed just five conversions when Round 3 came to a close. And with just three successful outs coming out of the short round, the event total concluded at just 21 qualified rides, now the second-fewest at a four-round event and third-fewest all season.
45 & Climbing: In a weekend full of bull-forward entertainment, it was No. 3 Red Demon which produced the best bucking effort of the four-round showcase, scored 45 points during his short round work paired against Sage Steele Kimzey, who returned to action in Sioux Falls with a seventh-place finish. However, he wasn’t able to log a score in the championship round, as Red Demon was giving it his all! Crowned the YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Event as the only bovine to reach the coveted 45-point mark, the world contender produced his third 45-point mark in his past four attempts as he continues to make a run as world contender during next month’s 2024 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast.
(JRV x Red Demon)
But after allowing fellow veteran Joao Ricardo Vieira to convert for 90 points the last time he punched the clock (in Jacksonville, Florida, the month prior), Red Demon wanted some revenge, and go just that Sunday afternoon.
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
