Holiday slate continues invading northeast via Week 6 showcase in Albany, New York, Dec. 27-28.
By James Youness
FORT WORTH, Texas – The most wonderful time of the year is upon us as the holiday season is in full swing. As are the world’s most talented bull riders, who are gearing up for this weekend’s PBR Albany showcase inside MVP Arena Dec. 27-28.
Presents have been unwrapped. Cookies eaten and family bonds renewed.
So, it’s time to Unleash The Beast once more as 39 of the tour’s most deserving athletes will be on display as PBR continues its three-way trip in the Northeast Friday night!
And for as entertaining as 19-year-old hot shot and current tour leader John Crimber has been to watch in 2025, he’s coming off a rare 0-for-2 slate. Now his second rideless showcase throughout the tour’s first five installments, he’s quite literally been a bit “hit or miss” this season, having captured two event titles to balance out his pair of imperfect outings.
Ahead of No. 2 Dalton Kasel by a mere 16 points, can the youthful superstar turn his luck around courtesy of a rematch with Umm in Round 1 – a bull he bested for a whopping 91.25 points when the duo first danced during Crimber’s rookie PBR Camping World Team Series campaign.
Unfortunately, several of the circuit’s biggest names will be out of commission this weekend, including the aforementioned Dalton Kasel alongside the likes of Jose Vitor Leme, Eduardo Aparecido, Vitor Losnake and company, who endured some injuries during last weekend’s event in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Which provides an opportunity for guys like Joao Ricardo Vieira, Alex Cerqueira and Marco Rizzo, who are in the draw as alternate invites, to make some noise and prove themselves worthy of continued UTB competition.
Of course, seeing four different men earn event titles so far this season suggests the cowboys sharing the payouts and limelight a bit more this time around, with reigning 2024 PBR World Champion Cassio Dias, who climbed aboard the stage plenty of times last year, out for the season due to an injury of his own.
Guys like Derek Kolbaba, who snapped a seven-year drought last weekend with a big premier series victory, have been feeling themselves.
Veterans like Sage Steele Kimzey have been fighting through some bumps and bruises of their own, yet still in the draw ready to capture round wins and beyond.
Established talents like Dener Barbosa and Claudio Montanha Jr. are looking to keep their names in the title-earning hat, both currently ranked within the Top 10 of the UTB standings thanks to encouraging starts of their own.
At the same time, the second wave of cuts are approaching after this weekend’s shootout in Albany, meaning only the Top 35-ranked riders will be safe and invited to the tour’s next showcase, which is set to invade the elegant Madison Square Garden Jan. 3-5.
Knowing there are already plenty of ailments making their rounds means the veteran pack may be able to continue its dominant start over the tour’s youngsters.
Those that remain healthy and available to ride, that is.
2025 PBR Unleash The Beast Global Standings: 1. John Crimber (318 points) 2. Dalton Kasel (302 points) 3. Sage Steele Kimzey (169.25 points) 4. Derek Kolbaba (164 points) 5. Jose Vitor Leme (147.5 points) 6. Kaiden Loud (135 points) 7. Julio Cesar Marques (120.33 points) 8. Adriano Salgado (119.33 points) 9. Andrew Alvidrez (118.75 points) 10. Claudio Montanha Jr. (116 points)
Lineups and draw are in for the sixth of 23 regular season Unleash The Beast showdowns, so we’re taking a closer look at Friday night’s matchups, rematches and everything you need to know ahead of the weekend’s opening slate!
With the premier series circuit set to invade Albany, New York, Dec. 27-28, we’re breaking down starting lineups for competition inside MVP Arena (With coverage set to begin at 8 p.m. ET via PBR’s YouTube channel and Ride Pass on Pluto TV).
PBR ALBANY STARTING LINEUPS Paulo Henrique da Silva vs. Vindicated Eduardo Matos vs. Gene’s Best *Mauricio Gulla Moreira vs. Hell Right Boudreaux Campbell vs. Reality Check Hudson Bolton vs. Mr. Vaquero Rogerio Venancio vs. Sweet Moves Paulo Eduardo Rossetto vs. Charmer Marco Rizzo vs. Warlock Wyatt Rogers vs. New Dinero Felipe Furlan vs. Infectious Tanner Eno vs. Sugar Bear Daniel Keeping vs. Muss Bus Mason Taylor vs. Catching Gears Austin Richardson vs. Mala Madre Elizmar Jeremias vs. Rogue One Vinicius Pinheiro Correa vs. Precious Pop Clay Guiton vs. First Class Jake Morinec vs. Sig Sauer Side Piece Brady Fielder vs. Thriller Cort McFadden vs. Goin’ Solo Thiago Salgado vs. Bad Spider Sandro Batista vs. Red Mosquito Keyshawn Whitehorse vs. 50 Shades Joao Ricardo Vieira vs. Gaucho Luciano De Castro vs. Horn Dog Koltin Hevalow vs. Powerstroke Lucas Divino vs. Magic Money Alex Cerqueira vs. West Coast Claudio Montanha Jr. vs. Red Dirt *Leonardo Castro vs. Rafter P Construction’s Smooth Over It Dener Barbosa vs. Rooster’s Melt Down Adriano Salgado vs. Snuggles *Julio Cesar Marques vs. Underdog Kaiden Loud vs. Uncle Jim Derek Kolbaba vs. Cash Goblin Sage Steele Kimzey vs. Dan-O *John Crimber vs. Umm *Denotes Rematch
REMATCHES John Crimber vs. Umm (91.25 points in Glendale, Arizona) Julio Cesar Marques vs. Underdog (4 seconds in Ontario, California) Leonardo Castro vs. Rafter P Construction’s Smooth Over It (7.29 seconds in Greensboro, North Carolina) Mauricio Gulla Moreira vs. Hell Right (2.96 seconds in Sacramento, California)
OUT DUE TO INJURY/OTHER Dalton Kasel (injury) Jose Vitor Leme (injury) Eduardo Aparecido (injury) Cassio Dias (injury) Daylon Swearingen (injury) Andrew Alvidrez (injury) Alan de Souza (injury) Vitor Losnake (injury) Ky Hamilton (injury) Dawson Branton (travel) Kaique Pacheco (excused) Anderson de Oliveira (excused) Nick Tetz (excused)
FOLLOW ALONG This weekend’s PBR Albany showcase in Albany, New York, is set to begin Friday, Dec. 27 at 7:45 p.m. ET as the best bull riders in the world prepare to compete inside of MVP Arena once again.
With competition set to conclude Saturday, Dec. 28 at 7:45 p.m. ET with Round 2, followed by the short round, the quest to earn the 2025 PBR World Championship continues in the greater northeast as Unleash The Beast prepares to endure its second of three weeks on the east coast!
All three rounds of action in Albany, New York, will be available LIVE and FREE on RidePass on Pluto TV, PBR’s YouTube channel, PBR’s mobile app, PBR’s app on connected TVs, including Apple TV, Fire TV, Roku, and Google TV, as well as on your favorite web browser at watch.pbr.com. The stream for PBR Albany begins on Friday, December 27, at 8 p.m. ET and continues on Saturday, December 28, at 8 p.m. ET.
Fans can keep an eye on PBR.com and @PBR social media channels for the latest news, scores, wrecks and more!
