NEW YORK CITY – Before the conclusion of the record-setting, sold-out PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast event in New York City on Sunday afternoon, Lucas Divino (Nova Crixas, Brazil) led a locker room full of bull riders in a passionate, emotional prayer. Divino then went 2-for-2 on Sunday (3-for-4 on the weekend) to win the Monster Energy Buck Off at The Garden, presented by Ariat.

“I gave my testimony in the locker room today, and then, when walking to the chutes, the Holy Spirit talked to me. ‘Calm down. It’s OK,’ he told me. I knew I would walk out of here with the buckle. God is good. I just did my part,” Divino said. 

Divino’s first win since May 2020 catapulted him from No. 15 to No. 4 in the 2025 PBR World Championship battle.

For the first time in its history, PBR sold out all three days inside Madison Square Garden, welcoming a record 42,257 fans.

Divino, who rides for the 2024 World Champion Austin Gamblers in the separate PBR Teams league, joined PBR in opening the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Friday morning, but that night began the event in less-than-ideal form, bucked off by Umm (D5 Redline Pro Rodeo/Double F Ranch) in a close 7.96 seconds. 

The affable Brazilian didn’t lose faith, putting points on the board in riding Fierce’s Dirtnap (Blake Sharp/UB Bucking Co./Fierce Firearms) for 86.25 points in Round 2 on Saturday. Divino then delivered his second qualified ride in a row when he topped Pack Rat (Cornwell Bucking Bulls) for 87.25 points on Sunday.

Advancing to the championship round fourth on the event leaderboard, Divino elected to go head-to-head with Punchy Pete (Crescent City Bucking Bulls/Lari Crane/Gene Owen), a bull who had bested him in their three prior meetings. Continuing his momentum, Divino matched the bull jump-for-jump en route to the requisite 8 as the crowd erupted in boisterous cheer. The 88.75-point score proved enough to cement the win for Divino.

In addition to a check for $45,833.33, Divino garnered 145 Unleash The Beast points, rising from No. 15 to No. 4 in the world. He is now 129.5 points back of No. 1 John Crimber (Decatur, Texas).

The Kansas City Outlaws’ Sandro Batista (Pedra Preta, Brazil) parlayed a 3-for-4 showing of his own into a second-place finish, earning 106 Unleash The Beast points.

Batista began the event in electric form, riding First Class (Dave Martin/Mike Miller Bucking Bulls) for 78.25 points in Round 1 and Old Testament (Jo-Z Bucking Bulls/K-C/Spark-lin Acres) for 82.25 points in Round 2. His streak of scores, however, ended in Round 3 when he was upended by Lansky (Grin/Jacobson/McCoy Rodeo) in 5.99 seconds.

Determined to regain his form, Batista capped his outing inside The World’s Most Famous Arena with a championship round-best 89.25-point ride aboard Say When (Blake Sharp).

Chasing his first World Championship this May, Batista surged from No. 29 to No. 9 in the world, propelled within 212.67 points of No. 1 Crimber.

Keyshawn Whitehorse (McCracken Spring, Utah) was third.

While Round 1 did not go Whitehorse’s way, as he was bucked off in 2.81 seconds by Simon (K-C Bucking Bulls/Daniels Cattle Co.), the Arizona Ridge Rider quickly righted his course in Round 2 by registering the high-marked ride of the event, conquering Tyrone (Cornwell Bucking Bulls) for a monstrous 90.75 points. He again made the whistle in Round 3, covering Thriller (McCoy Rodeo/Jacobson) for 73 points, advancing to the final round ninth in the standings.

The 2018 PBR Rookie of the Year then brought the raucous crowd to its feet when he teamed with UTZ BesTex Legend (Blake Sharp/Chris Utz/Carey Brothers) for 83.75 points in the championship round.

Whitehorse leaves the Empire State with 93 Unleash The Beast points. He rose from No. 25 to No. 8 in the world.

Brazilian newcomer Vinicius Pinheiro Correa (Aimores, Brazil) was fourth, garnering 56.5 Unleash The Beast points.

Correa led the event entering the final round courtesy of a 78.25-point ride on Lapua (Blake Sharp/Floyd/Wilson/High Voltage) in Round 1, an 82.75-point effort atop Don’t Come Easy (Blake Sharp/Chris Utz/Carey Brothers) in Round 2, and an 86.25-point score aboard Sly (K-C Bucking Bulls/RD Cattle) in Round 3.

Correa, however, was denied his first Unleash The Beast victory in the championship round when he was tossed by Lights Out (Blake Sharp/Henry Wilson) in 3.38 seconds.

Seeking his first PBR World Finals qualification, Correa rose from No. 34 to No. 24 in the standings.

Rounding out the Top 5 in fifth was the Carolina Cowboys’ Derek Kolbaba (Walla Walla, Washington).

Going 2-for-4, Kolbaba rode Lansky for 88 points in Round 2 and Rogue One (Barrett/Barnes Rodeo) for 87.5 points in Round 3 to collect 56 Unleash The Beast points. The perennial World Champion contender remained No. 5 in the world, now 163 points back of No. 1 Crimber.

In the bull pen, reigning YETI PBR World Champion Bull Man Hater (Jane Clark/Gene Owen) bucked supreme, crowned the YETI “Built For The Wild” Bull of the Event. Bucking in the championship round, Man Hater was marked an unrivaled 47.25 points for his 5.55 seconds of work against the Texas Rattlers’ Brady Fielder (Clermont, Queensland, Australia).

Magic Potion (K-C Bucking Bulls/Daniels Cattle Co.) made history, surpassing the legendary Bushwacker (Julio Moreno Bucking Bulls) for the second-longest buckoff streak of all time, registering his 43^rd straight buckoff Sunday afternoon inside Madison Square Garden. He is now four buckoffs behind Cool Whip (Julian/Staci Addison/D&H/Crooked W), who has 47. The powerful animal athlete delivered the historic out in the championship round, tossing the Austin Gamblers’ Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas) in 3.22 seconds.

All three nights of competition in New York City were available LIVE and FREE on PBR’s X account (https://x.com/PBR), RidePass on Pluto TV, PBR’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@pbr), PBR’s mobile app (https://qrco.de/bdtdKp), and PBR’s app on connected TVs, including Apple TV, Fire TV, Roku and Google TV.

The PBR Unleash The Beast next travels to Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, for PBR Chicago. The event will begin at 7:45 p.m. CT on Friday, Jan. 10, and Saturday, Jan. 11, at 7:45 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, Rosemont.com/allstate and PBR.com, or by calling PBR customer service at (800) 732-1727.

PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer re-airs and on-demand replays of PBR Unleash The Beast events and is available on desktops, laptops and mobile devices via www.pluto.tv.

PBR Unleash The Beast
PBR Monster Energy Buckoff at The Garden, presented by Ariat
Madison Square Garden – New York City, New York 
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Round 4-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Lucas Divino, 0-86.25-87.25-88.75-262.25-145 Points.
2. Sandro Batista, 78.25-82.25-0-89.25-249.75-106 Points.
3. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 0-90.75-73-83.75-247.50-93 Points.
4. Vinicius Pinheiro Correa, 78.25-82.75-86.25-0-247.25-56.5 Points.
5. Derek Kolbaba, 0-88-87.5-0-175.50-56 Points.
6. Hudson Bolton, 0-88.5-85.25-0-173.75-48.5 Points.
7. Paulo Eduardo Rossetto, 0-86-87.25-0-173.25-37 Points.
8. Daylon Swearingen, 83.25-87.5-0-0-170.75-31.5 Points.
9. Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 84.75-84.75-0-0-169.50-25 Points.
10. Cort McFadden, 0-84.5-83.75-0-168.25-23 Points.
11. Brady Fielder, 0-86.25-77.5-0-163.75-15.5 Points.
12. Alex Cerqueira, 80-0-72.5-0-152.50-10 Points.
13. Jose Vitor Leme, 89.75-0-0-0-89.75-28 Points.
14. Dalton Kasel, 0-0-89-0-89.00-28 Points.
15. Kaiden Loud, 0-88.5-0-0-88.50-17.5 Points.
(tie). Mason Taylor, 88.5-0-0-0-88.50-18 Points.
17. Austin Richardson, 0-88.25-0-0-88.25-16 Points.
18. Dener Barbosa, 88-0-0-0-88.00-16.5 Points.
(tie). Clay Guiton, 88-0-0-0-88.00-16.5 Points.
20. Boudreaux Campbell, 0-87.5-0-0-87.50-13.5 Points.
21. João Ricardo Vieira, 87.25-0-0-0-87.25-15 Points.
22. Andrew Alvidrez, 0-86.75-0-0-86.75-12 Points.
(tie). Dawson Branton, 86.75-0-0-0-86.75-14 Points.
24. Koltin Hevalow, 0-0-86.25-0-86.25-14.5 Points.
25. Alex Marcilio, 0-86-0-0-86.00-8.5 Points.
26. Julio Cesar Marques, 0-85.75-0-0-85.75-8 Points.
27. John Crimber, 0-85.5-0-0-85.50-8 Points.
(tie). Sage Steele Kimzey, 85.5-0-0-0-85.50-5 Points.
29. Rogério Venâncio, 0-84.75-0-0-84.75-8 Points.
30. Luciano De Castro, 0-84.5-0-0-84.50-8 Points.
31. Claudio Montanha Jr., 84-0-0-0-84.00-11 Points.
Adriano Salgado, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Anderson de Oliveira, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Daniel Keeping, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Elizmar Jeremias, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Kaique Pacheco, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Thiago Salgado, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Marco Rizzo, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Wyatt Rogers, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Jake Morinec, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Nick Tetz, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Caden Bunch, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Tanner Eno, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Leandro Zampollo, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Marcelo De Souza Dias Junior, 0-0-0-0-0.00

2025 PBR Unleash The Beast Standings
(Place, Rider, Events, Wins, Top 5’s, Points, Total Winnings)
1. John Crimber, 7, 2, 3, 383.00, $123,815.00
2. Dalton Kasel, 6, 1, 3, 330.00, $91,300.00
3. Julio Cesar Marques, 7, 1, 2, 261.33, $73,781.67
4. Lucas Divino, 7, 1, 2, 253.50, $61,516.67
5. Derek Kolbaba, 7, 1, 2, 220.00, $57,740.00
6. Sage Steele Kimzey, 7, 0, 1, 184.25, $40,925.00
7. Jose Vitor Leme, 6, 1, 1, 175.50, $55,883.33
8. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 6, 0, 1, 174.00, $26,169.17
9. Sandro Batista, 7, 0, 1, 170.33, $29,250.00
10. Kaiden Loud, 7, 0, 1, 166.50, $32,817.50
11. Cort McFadden, 7, 0, 1, 151.25, $26,292.50
12. Claudio Montanha Jr., 7, 0, 1, 140.50, $16,140.00
13. Hudson Bolton, 4, 0, 1, 135.00, $14,940.00
14. Andrew Alvidrez, 5, 0, 1, 130.75, $28,683.33
15. Dener Barbosa, 7, 0, 1, 129.00, $14,675.00
16. Adriano Salgado, 7, 0, 1, 127.33, $21,290.00
17. Austin Richardson, 7, 0, 1, 121.50, $16,590.00
18. Luciano De Castro, 6, 0, 1, 118.50, $10,700.00
19. Brady Fielder, 5, 0, 1, 115.50, $15,690.00
20. Koltin Hevalow, 7, 0, 1, 110.00, $15,300.00
21. Leonardo Castro, 6, 0, 1, 109.25, $18,225.00
22. Mason Taylor, 7, 0, 1, 103.33, $10,291.67
23. Clay Guiton, 7, 0, 0, 100.50, $9,708.33
24. Anderson de Oliveira, 5, 0, 1, 99.50, $9,250.00
24. Vinicius Pinheiro Correa, 3, 0, 2, 99.50, $13,050.00
26. Daniel Keeping, 5, 0, 1, 99.00, $14,700.00
27. Elizmar Jeremias, 7, 0, 1, 91.00, $10,900.00
28. Dawson Branton, 6, 0, 0, 85.00, $7,200.00
29. Paulo Eduardo Rossetto, 7, 0, 0, 80.75, $5,387.50
30. Eduardo Aparecido, 5, 0, 1, 80.50, $9,700.00
31. Kaique Pacheco, 6, 0, 0, 77.00, $6,400.00
31. João Ricardo Vieira, 6, 0, 0, 77.00, $8,200.00
33. Daylon Swearingen, 3, 0, 0, 56.50, $4,275.00
34. Rogério Venâncio, 7, 0, 0, 53.58, $2,000.00
35. Boudreaux Campbell, 7, 0, 0, 51.83, $815.00
36. Thiago Salgado, 7, 0, 0, 51.50, $7,200.00
37. Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 6, 0, 0, 40.50, $2,783.33
38. Alex Cerqueira, 6, 0, 0, 40.00, $1,290.00
39. Marco Rizzo, 6, 0, 0, 26.25, $0.00
40. Alan de Souza, 4, 0, 0, 23.00, $450.00
41. Wyatt Rogers, 3, 0, 0, 22.00, $600.00
42. JaCauy Hale, 3, 0, 0, 18.00, $4,000.00
43. Jake Morinec, 3, 0, 0, 17.25, $2,400.00
44. Cassio Dias, 1, 0, 0, 14.50, $700.00
45. Eduardo Matos, 3, 0, 0, 13.50, $525.00

Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media