FORT WORTH, Texas – There’s nothing we love more than a good rider-vs.-bull rivalry.

Seeing two names next to each other on the daysheet and knowing magic is about to occur is one of the truly special parts of bull riding: both athletes can succeed simultaneously.

One of the all-time great rivalries is developing right before our eyes: 2024 PBR World Champion Cassio Dias vs. 2024 YETI World Champion Bull Man Hater.

The two champs have matched up three times this year for three qualified rides north of 93 points.

It brings to mind another recent rivalry that produced nothing but fireworks: 2020-21 PBR World Champion Jose Vitor Leme vs. 2021 YETI World Champion Bull Woopaa.

Before Woopaa’s retirement in March of last year, his name was synonymous with Leme’s, as the two matched up five times for four qualified rides – Woopaa finally bested Leme in their last dance, just weeks before he was retired – with none scoring lower than 94.75 points.

LEME VS. WOOPAA BY THE NUMBERS
Matchups: 5
Qualified Rides: 4
Lowest Score: 94.75 points (2021 in Fort Worth, Texas)
Highest Score: 98.75 points (2021 in Las Vegas)
First Matchup: 2020 PBR World Finals
Last Matchup: March 12, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Leme first climbed aboard Woopaa at the 2020 PBR World Finals in Arlington, Texas, scoring 95.75 points in the ride that clinched him his first world title. The out also helped Woopaa win the 2020 ABBI Classic championship.

After a paltry 94.75-point trip the following February, the pair rewrote the history books.

In Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2021, they recorded what was then the highest-scoring ride in PBR history at 97.75 points, with Woopaa recording a bull score of 48 points.

Just 100 days later, the two did it again, setting a new highest-scoring ride mark with a whopping 98.75 points at the 2021 PBR World Finals, clinching world titles for both rider and bull. Leme notched the first-ever perfect 50 rider score, and Woopaa was scored 48.75 points.

“Man, I think he wait for this moment like I wait for my second world title,” Leme said at the time. “He deserves all that because he’s so great. He’s so great. He just wants to buck. It doesn’t matter for him if you’re going to ride him or if you’re going to buck off. He just wants to show everyone he’s there, he’s on fire, he’s one of the greatest bulls in history. That’s what it looks like he wants to show to everyone. And when I saw the draw, I draw him for the short round, I said, ‘Well, that’s going to be interesting, because I can win the World Finals on him, and he can win the world title with me. So that will be very special.’ And that’s what happened.”

That ride has yet to be equaled, but Dias and Man Hater came close this past weekend at Rattler Days in Fort Worth.

DIAS VS. MAN HATER BY THE NUMBERS
Matchups: 3Qualified Rides: 3
Lowest Score: 93.25 points (2024 in Albuquerque, New Mexico)
Highest Score: 98.25 points (2024 in Fort Worth, Texas)
First Matchup: Feb. 17, 2024 in Los Angeles
Last Matchup: TBD

In their third matchup, Dias rode Man Hater for a stunning 98.25 points, just half a point shy of Leme’s record, while Man Hater turned in a bull score of – get this – 49.25 points.

RELATED: Cassio Dias, Man Hater stamp PBR record books once more via flashy 98.25-point dance

“No offense to anybody – that’s the best ride I’ve ever seen in my life,” Kansas City Outlaws Head Coach J.W. Hart shared with Matt West on the Merit Street broadcast.

Where Man Hater has Woopaa beaten is in the bull score category. While Woopaa never reached the 49-point mark and only reached 48 points twice, Man Hater has eclipsed 48 points three times, including scores of 49.25 points and 49.5 points – the highest bull score in PBR history.

What really sets Leme and Woopaa apart in the rivalry books, though, are their duels on the biggest stage in the sport. They faced off at two PBR World Finals in two world title-clinching outs for a combined three World Championships and an ABBI Classic championship.

And then, of course, is the fact that they reset the record for the highest-scoring ride twice.

Dias and Man Hater have done incredible things together, and they both won the 2024 World Championships, but they haven’t crossed paths at a championship event – yet. And three years ago, 98.25 points would’ve been the highest-scoring ride in history, but these days, it’s another reminder of just how alike Dias and Leme are.

Leme debuted in 2017 as a relatively unknown PBR Brazil champion. He proceeded to set the world on fire, winning the 2017 World Finals (his second event on U.S. soil) and Rookie of the Year honors. He finished No. 2 in the world in 2018-19 and won world titles in 2020-21. He also won the PBR Camping World Team Series MVP award in 2022-23.

Dias debuted in 2023 as a relatively unknown PBR Brazil champion. He was drafted by the Kansas City Outlaws and completely turned the team around. In his rookie year, he set the world on fire as he nearly snatched the PBR Teams MVP award from Leme before winning seven events en route to the 2024 World Championship.

In their first overlapping season – PBR Teams in 2023 – Leme went 21-for-32 (71%) and Dias went 20-for-28 (71%) in a back-and-forth MVP race that ultimately went Leme’s way and, in the process, carried the Austin Gamblers and Kansas City Outlaws to No. 1 and 2 in the regular-season standings, respectively.

“I used to see Jose Vitor riding here, and it’s a dream for me coming true, riding with him and competing with him,” Dias told PBR.com in July. “I’m very happy to have this opportunity to do it.”

Leme, meanwhile, spent most of the 2024 Unleash The Beast season sidelined with a groin injury and watched from afar as Dias had the best season since Leme’s in 2021.

“It was great for him,” Leme said. “He did the job. It was all deserved. He deserved all the prizes and all the things that he won because he did really good during the season. Nobody deserves more than him that world title because he won seven events in the regular season, and he did great. So I was cheering for him because he deserved that. It was awesome to watch him win and make all the work he did during the year.”

Last year, Leme commented that he was excited about Dias following the blueprint of his own career.

“He’s going the same way, so I hope he continues that and keeps pushing me to keep improving myself,” Leme said. “That will help me a lot because I always ride better when I have someone with me on the same level. Not saying I don’t have anybody in there, but he’s fire now, and he’s doing great. When I see somebody like him riding, for sure, I get more motivated to ride my bulls, too.”

Leme will have to find a new bovine partner if he wants to record a new highest-scoring ride. And he might very well want to because, with Dias and Man Hater showing no signs of slowing down, no scoring record is safe.

Photo courtesy of Todd Brewer/Bull Stock Media