FORT WORTH, Texas – Jose Vitor Leme does not want his son to ride bulls.

Three-year-old Theo was put in his first soccer league last year but didn’t like it because he was playing with kids two years older than him. But his dad, a former semi-pro soccer player in Brazil, isn’t ready to take no for an answer.

“I’m going to try again this year,” Leme said with a laugh. “I hope he keeps playing soccer, not bull riding, for sure.”

Leme intimately knows the perils of bull riding. On a bad day, the sport can be deadly – Leme was close friends with Amadeu Campos Silva, who passed away after a wreck in 2021.

But even on a good day, the sport is punishing, even for its brightest stars. Leme, one of the best the PBR has ever seen, has struggled mightily with injury since winning back-to-back World Championships in 2020-21. He hasn’t competed a full slate of Unleash The Beast events since 2021, missing all but six events in 2024 after doctoring out of the remainder of the season in March.

Since returning to premier series action in July for the PBR Team Series, though, Leme has looked like his old self. And while he might not want his son riding bulls, it’s his No. 1 focus once again.

Leme went 25-for-37 (67%) for the Austin Gamblers this past season, anchoring the squad as it won the 2024 PBR Camping World Team Series Championship. And just a few weeks later, he was back on the UTB grind as the 2025 season kicked off in Tucson, Arizona.

“Just working at home,” Leme said with a laugh at how he spent his brief offseason. “Not much time off. I had some projects at home that I had to finish, and I was just working. I didn’t have too much time to go out and have fun or go visit my parents in Brazil. I just stayed here and focused on the start of the season and just chasing that third one.”

By “that third one,” of course, he means his third gold buckle.

“That’s what I’m here for,” he confirmed.

Things didn’t get off to an auspicious start in Tucson, as he went 0-for-2 in the season opener.

The following weekend in Ontario, California, however, was a different story. Leme went 3-for-3, including his first two 90-point rides of the season, to earn the event win—the 27th of his career and first since February 2023.

“This is a great feeling. I kind of missed this,” Leme told Kate Harrison with a laugh. “I had to stay out last season because of injury, and now I came back to the UTB, doing what I do best. I’m so happy to be healthy again and riding good. I’m just so, so happy and thankful because God is blessing me a lot. So I’m just so proud.”

Leme notched his first qualified ride of the season in Round 1 in Ontario with 87.5 points on I’m Him. In Round 2, he rode HomeBru for 90.25 points before punctuating his victory with 90.5 points on Umm in the championship round.

“Great bull ride right here,” 2016 World Champion Cooper Davis said. “That bull could’ve bucked him off by stepping ahead right there, but Jose just picks up on the lead change and goes to work.”

Whether he goes 0-for-2 or 3-for-3, Leme is happy to be in riding shape.

“It’s always good to start healthy,” he said. “Unfortunately, last season, I started like this, and I got hurt. But I hope I can stay healthy through the season and finish. I’m feeling good. We had a great Teams season – that helps a lot with confidence, and I’m ready. I’m ready to chase that third one.”

While Leme is all about making the 8-second whistle, he’s developed some business ventures outside the arena to provide a bit of a distraction. He’s raising bulls both at his ranch in Decatur, Texas, as well as in Brazil.

“It’s hard to stay home and not do nothing,” he said. “It keeps me busy, and it’s something for your mind – that way, you don’t have to think about one thing. Sometimes, if you do too much, it’s not beneficial. So I’m raising some bucking cows, some bucking bloodlines, too.”

Between the bulls and his hopefully soccer-playing son, Leme has plenty on his plate these days.

But as the UTB heads to St. Louis for the PBR St. Louis, presented by Michelob Ultra, on Dec. 7-8 (Round 1 airs at 9 p.m. ET on RidePass on Pluto TV and the PBR’s YouTube channel), nothing is going to get in his way.

“Right now, the focus is the gold buckle. The focus is the UTB,” Leme told Harrison. “I’m confident, I’m feeling great, and I’m going to work hard to deserve that third gold buckle. So I know it’s going to be a lot of work, especially with all these other young guys doing great. I just need to work harder and do what I do. I’m happy to be here.”

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media