By the Numbers: Julio Cesar Marques captures inaugural UTB victory in Albany, New York
Kansas City Outlaws’ standout parlayed 3-for-3 record into 133 points, earning No. 3 rank.
By James Youness
FORT WORTH, Texas – No. 1 John Crimber continues to put on a show as he chases down what would be his first PBR World Championship this May inside AT&T Stadium.
Capturing two of the season’s first six Unleash The Beast event titles, he’s been a menace, no doubt. And after turning in another Top 5 finish in Week 6, he remains the big man on campus.
However, it was his fellow sophomore standout Julio Cesar Marques who walked away from the tour’s most recent showcase with a big smile and $46,090 to his name.
The 20-year-old was quietly nestled into the No. 10 spot when Saturday dawned, previously exiting his Round 1 challenge aboard Underdog for 86.25 points. Deciding to kick things up a notch on Day 2, he was scored a quality 87 points after making the requisite 8 atop Gaucho en route to improving to 2-for-2 on the weekend.
Putting the finishing touches on his perfect performance, Marques captured his first round win of the season courtesy of an 88.75-point dance with Tulsa Time during Saturday’s short round.
Which is borderline surprising he was able to win the third round considering five different men found the buzzer. Edging out Cort McFadden by .25 points, who bested Electric Kitty for a sound 88.5 points, Marques completed the round/event win combination in stunning fashion as the weekend’s top dawg.
Prior to the win, the young Brazilian had managed six different Top 10 finishes despite this being just his second season on the premier series. Finally able to raise the big check last weekend in Albany, New York, he added a UTB buckle to his growing collection courtesy of his flawless 3-for-3 showing inside MVP Arena.
Outscoring the evening’s eventual runner-up contestant in McFadden by 8.25 points in the aggregate, Marques logged three scores of 86 points or higher as he picked up the big win, averaging an 87.33-point mark on the weekend. Which proved to be quite the advantage, considering the other three men to stay perfect accepted scores in the middle 70s as the event progressed.
The conversion-forward event saw four different riders go 3-for-3 throughout the weekend, now the most guys to stay perfect within any showcase of the season, as the pack one-upped the three flawless performances we saw when the tour invaded Ontario, California, earlier this year.
Combining for 40 qualified rides overall, Week 6’s UTB riders tied the second-highest ride count of the season (tying the 40 successful attempts in St. Louis, Missouri), with the 46-ride mark remaining the highest of 2025 (back in Ontario).
Though, something tells us this weekend’s approaching showcase inside Madison Square Garden could brighten the lights and up the ante, potentially encouraging the pack to surpass the 46-ride mark starring in one of the world’s biggest media markets!
With the first six events of the 2025 campaign already in the rearview, it’s time for another action-packed addition of By the Numbers as we analyze Marques’ first trip to the winner’s circle, the emergence of Cort McFadden and dozens of other outlying numerals from last weekend’s spic showdown in Albany, New York!
UTB Win No. 1: Now occupying the No. 3 rank, just a mere 48.67 points behind No. 2 Dalton Kasel and 121.67 points behind No. 1 John Crimber, Marques climbed atop the shark cage in celebratory fashion for the first time in his young premier series career. Officially a combined 4-for-5 during his past two events as PBR has spent the last two weekends in the northeastern part of the country, he seems to be enjoying his time in that sector of the country.
Having recorded at least one qualified ride in each of his last five appearances, he’s now 9-for-15 on the season overall, which keeps him tied for the third-most efficient rider on tour, officially sitting at 60% on the year. If we adjust the filter of “outs attempted” to be at least 10, he’d be tied for first (with Hudson Bolton 6-for-8 on the season and Andrew Alvidrez 5-for-8). Knowing he pieced together a second-place effort back in St. Louis, Missouri, reminds us that this was no fluke. He’s been trending in the right direction for a while now and is officially putting his name in the world contender hat with performances like these.
Second Season, Second Place: How many riders have recorded at least one qualified rides in each of the tour’s first six events? Not many … But, second-year standout Cort McFadden is 100% amongst said group as he continues trending in a positive direction since opening the season back in Tucson, Arizona. Initially recording No. 25, 26 and 22-place finishes during the opening trio of showcases, McFadden rode one bull in each of the contests en route to establishing some momentum as he switched gears from the 5-on-5 summer series. However, it’s been his most recent three results which represent the 20-year-old taking the next step in his budding career.
Building on his 14th-place finish in Wichita, Kansas, he’s now racked up a pair of Top 10 finishes over the course of his last two events, logging a No. 10 finish in Manchester, New Hampshire, before turning in his runner-up run inside MVP Arena. Except this time, he wasn’t settling for one good trot around the dirt. Recording his first 3-for-3 slate of the season, McFadden ensured himself a podium finish thanks to a campaign-best 88.5 points atop Electric Kitty, whom he selected in for a short round opponent. Initially besting Wingman for 78.5 points in Round 1 and hearing the buzzer aboard Gene’s Best in the second go, he made it clear as to why he’ll also remain one of the tour’s names to declare themselves a star in 2025.
Third Place 4 No. 17: Australian sensation Brady Fielder may have missed the first two events of the 2025 campaign visiting some friends and family back on the homeland. But he’s fired up and ready to ride now that he’s stateside for the winter. Ever-evident once again in Week 6 as the lanky rider recorded his first Top 3 effort of the season. Storming back on the scene with a No. 7 finish back in St. Louis, he’s now managed Top 20 placements in three of four events this year, including a No. 17 placement in Wichita, Kansas, and his most recent third-place effort in Albany.
Having his chaps shredded earlier in the night, the international talent jumped into the chutes without them in Saturday’s third round ahead of his hand-chosen opponent, Manaba. Previously 0-for-3 against said animal athlete, Fielder turned the tides for both the duo’s history and his event standing, surging into a podium position with the elite strike despite accepting a 77.75-point earlier that evening. Earning a much-needed 64 UTB points for his third-place finish, he’s now 6-for-10 on the season, ranked No. 17 despite competing in just four of the tour’s first six outings!
First Year, No Fear: Here at PBR, where we continue to usher in the next wave of bull riding talent season after season, it’s hard not to believe in a little “beginner’s luck.” Plenty of youngsters or fresh UTB contestants have come into the top tour and had success, no doubt. Part of said stretches require tons of skill at the same time, as these kids haven’t grinded their way to compete against the best in the world on accident. So, for any fans who were shocked to see the New York Mavericks select 18-year-old Hudson Bolton third overall during the 2024 PBR Teams New Rider Draft, we get it. Just know he’s been keeping receipts (alongside cashing checks) since debuting underneath the brightest lights in the business.
Think of him as a mix of Clay Guiton and Cort McFadden, with the determination and skillset of John Crimber and Cassio Dias. He’s got skill and now he’s getting the opportunity, ever-evident after seeing him produce the first 3-for-3 UTB slate of his budding career last weekend in Albany. Hell, had he not accepted a 74.25-pointer atop Gangster Show in Saturday’s Round 2, he could’ve had a chance at much more, including a potential event win. Combining said efforts with quality 84.25 and 87.75-point dances from the first and third round, he improved to 6-for-8 on the season on his way to recording three-straight Top 16 efforts, including a pair of Top 10 performances in Albany (fourth) and Wichita (eighth). All the way up to the No. 22 rank despite competing in just three events so far, he’s worth keeping an eye on during Week 7’s showcase in New York City.
47-Straight: Naturally, the race for the coveted 2025 PBR World Champion continues to bring the best of the world’s most skilled bull riders. The same could be said for the industry’s talented bovines, who are competing in a race of their own. And while the likes of Man Hater and friends are typically revered as some of this season’s top threats, there’s another bull who remains atop the bovine headlines for his history-setting and resetting efforts.
The ever-epic Cool Whip bucked off his 47th-consecutive cowboy Saturday night after sending Oklahoma Wildcatters’ star Clay Guiton to the dirt in less than three seconds. Distancing himself from the historic efforts of one Bushwacker, who managed 42-straight efforts some years ago, Cool Whip realizes he’s getting the job done and continues to do just that in 2025. However, when it comes to the rankest bovine athlete of the weekend, that title was earned by Charmer as the only bull to produce a 46-point bull score inside MVP Arena. Forcing veteran Claudio Montanha Jr. into an early touch just 2.52 seconds into their dance, he ended the 35-year-old’s evening while locking up his first YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Event title of the season.
