By the Numbers: Brady Fielder parlays 3-for-3 effort into first win of 2025 in Windy City
Texas Rattlers’ ace has recorded Top 3 finishes in two of last three UTB showcases.
By James Youness
FORT WORTH, Texas – After entering PBR’s Week 8 showcase in Chicago, Illinois, this past weekend with a combined zero round and event wins to his name this season, Brady Fielder stormed into Allstate Arena and nearly swept the show, eventually capturing two of three round wins en route to earning his first win of the 2025 season and second overall UTB victory.
One of five men to produce perfect 3-for-3 slates, the most three-ride performances of the season to date, Fielder edged out rookie Anderson de Oliveira by 5 points in the aggregate, as the Australian talent was marked 89 points or higher in each of his three conversions.
Netting 153 UTB points and a big ole check inked for $52,390 as he improved to the tour’s No. 3 rank, now 80.5 points behind No. 2 Dalton Kasel, he continued to chase down the pack’s runaway leaders while keeping his name in the World Championship hat.
Having competed in only six of the tour’s eight events so far, he wasn’t worried about missing out on a pair of early-season meet-ups. He’s busy riding his bulls doing all that he can to make sure he puts himself within striking distance of No. 1 John Crimber.
Of the six events he’s completed, he’s managed three different Top 10 efforts, including a pair of Top 3 efforts during two of his last three appearances (his win in Chicago alongside a recent third-place effort in Albany, New York, a few weekends back).
The lanky cowboy didn’t need any re-rides or extra outs to get the job done either, as he knocked down each of the three animal athletes he was paired with.
Originally capturing the Round 1 victory, his first of the season, he teamed up with DirtyBru for a sincere 89.25 points as he climbed aboard the shark cage and posed with the Monster Energy girls.
Which only foreshadowed the exact spot he’d end the productive weekend at.
Improving to 2-for-2 on the event en route to earning an 89-point score for his 8 seconds of survival aboard Bucking Bill, it became apparent the Australian was feeling himself inside Allstate Arena.
Eventually opting into a short round dance with Tulsa Time via the first pick in the Championship Round bull draft, his fate was determined. All he had to do was punch the clock for one more 8-second shift.
Exactly what he did during the final out of the evening, besting the popular pick for a round-winning 89.75 points, the highest-marked ride of the weekend.
Continuing to be one of the most efficient cowboys on tour seems to be in the Australian’s script, now 11-for-17 on the season. But it’s his ability to electrify the audience while stringing together several quality conversions within the same event that will keep him in the chase for the 2025 PBR World Championship.
Knowing he and his Texas Rattlers are set to continue some Texas Cup rivalrous fun Friday night against the Austin Gamblers means he’ll be looking to keep his successful streak rolling.
And any time we’ve got some additional fireworks flying courtesy of the Monster Energy Team Challenge (METC), with the Carolina Cowboys and Nashville Stampede most recently renewing their rivalries in Week 8, we’ve got to show some love to the 6 vs. 6 series!
Somehow, we’re already one third of the way through the 2025 premier series campaign?! A Tuesday tradition, PBR.com is back with another edition of By the Numbers as we break down Brady Fielder’s first win of the season, taking a closer look at the 2025 PBR Rookie of the Year race and tons of other outlying numerals from last weekend’s spicy showdown in Chicago, Illinois!
64.71%: Generally speaking, cowboys can position themselves for a shot to compete at the 2025 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast if they’re able to consistently knock down half of their bulls. Rider gunning for the title itself are usually creeping towards the 60% mark, or so. So, when we say Brady Fielder has been absolutely on fire lately, now 11-for-17 on the season (64.71%), it’s easy to understand why: He’s THE most efficient rider on tour.
Which shouldn’t be much of a surprise knowing he led his Texas Rattlers to the 2024 PBR Teams Championship honors a week after winning the first-ever Great 8 Award this past fall, which was presented to the most efficient cowboy from the 2024 slate of camaraderie-driven action. Entering this weekend’s showcase in Houston, Texas, only five riders (including Fielder, John Crimber, Cort McFadden, Keyshawn Whitehorse and Luciano De Castro) have managed 11 conversions this season. Fielder’s 17 attempts represent the fewest of the bunch (compared to 18, 19, 21 and 22 outs for the others mentioned, respectively) – and when you consider both Crimber and McFadden have participated in all eight events this year, while Whitehorse and Castro have competed in seven of the eight, it makes it pretty apparent how efficient Fielder has been having suited up in just six events so far. Both efficient and explosive at the same time, he’s looking to build on the No. 8 finish he turned in last season – and has already gone a long way in establishing a runway to do just that.
2025 Rookie of the Year Frontrunner: Despite making a bit of a name for himself over the past month or so as one of the most exciting rookies on tour in 2025, Anderson de Oliveira entered PBR Chicago ranked No. 24 in the UTB standings with some quality efforts but no true shining moments. That changed in the Windy City, as the Brazilian not only captured his first-ever premier series round win but improved to the No. 8 mark en route to earning the best UTB finish of his career.
Which happened to be an electric 3-for-3, runner-up effort as he gained the attention of tens of thousands of fans over the weekend inside Allstate Arena, not to mention his tour mates. Representing the 38-year-old first 3-for-3 slate to date, he bested Peanut for 86.25 points as he helped his Nashville Stampede complete a convincing METC series win over the Carolina Cowboys. Later improving to a sound 2-for-2 start, he exited a head-to-head showdown with Fringe Minority for a whopping 89.5 points, which now serves as his top-scored ride all-time, on his way to winning the second round honors. Eventually putting the finishing touches on his flawless weekend, his 87.25-pointer atop Buffalo Heifer skyrocketed him to the top of the leaderboard. But with Fielder turning in three-straight 89-plus-pointers, the Brazilian was forced to settle for second. Collecting career-best figures in both UTB points (104) and prize winnings ($26,790), he’s all the way up to the No. 8 rank ahead of this weekend’s showcase in Houston, Texas.
Top 10 & Climbing: Coming into the quickly approaching Week 9 showcase inside Toyota Center, No. 6 Cort McFadden has been the definition of consistent this season. Officially riding at least one bull in all nine of this season’s UTB competitions, the 20-year-old has been ON FIRE.
Up to 13-for-21 on the season, he remains tied with John Crimber with the most qualified rides on tour. The biggest difference between the two youngsters is that Crimber has racked up four round wins and two event titles while McFadden has primarily been operating in the shadows. Until last weekend, that is, as the Novice, Texas, native turned in a productive third-place effort in Chicago. Having produced a runner-up effort two weekends prior in Albany, New York, sandwiched between a pair of No. 10 finishes in New York City and Manchester, New Hampshire, and suddenly the lanky rider has recorded four-straight Top 10 efforts. Trailing Oliveira by a mere half of a point (.5) inside Allstate Arena when all was said and done, he nearly had back-to-back second-place finishes but was still likely happy to be taking home 81 UTB points as he cracked the Top 10, previously entering the showcase just outside said grouping at the No. 11 spot. Sitting atop the night one leaderboard within the Denver PBR Chute Out at the National Western Stock Show, it’s clear he’s on one lately.
251 to None: When Friday night’s opening round approached the finish line, 12 riders donned the chutes with their respective PBR Camping World Team Series coaches as the Monster Energy Team Challenge executed its second 6 vs. 6 showdown of the 2025 season. Providing an opportunity for teams to stay in touch and keep the vibes flowing through what’s traditionally been known as the “offseason,” the new series also grants some of the respective 5-on-5 landscape’s riders who haven’t/don’t typically compete on the premier series a shot to give it their all under the brightest lights in the business. After seeing the New York Mavericks defeat the Florida Freedom inside Madison Square Garden, the Nashville Stampede followed up said efforts with a monstrous win over the Carolina Cowboys during the second iteration of the METC. And it wasn’t close!
Seeing each of Anderson de Oliveira (86.25 points), Austin Richardson (87.5 points) and Alan de Souza (77.25 points) record qualified rides for Head Coach Justin McBride and company meant they were 3-for-6 on the night as they cruised to the eventual 251-0 victory. And for as nice as it was to see the rookie in Oliveira secure a qualified ride for his blue and yellow contingent, the conversion ended up propelling the 38-year-old to a career-best second-place finish in the Windy City! Unfortunately for Carolina, the team went a combined 0-for-6 despite fielding the likes of Daylon Swearingen, Derek Kolbaba and Adriano Salgado, three of the team’s regular starters from the third season of camaraderie-driven action. Thankfully for the Cowboys’ hope of a revenge narrative, the rivalrous squads will meet twice more this season, including showdowns in Louisville, Kentucky, March 15 and in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, April 4.
