Monster Energy Team Challenge preview: Kansas City Outlaws vs. Missouri Thunder
The Show-Me State showdown takes center stage to close out Round 1 in Sacramento, California, this weekend.
By Darci Miller
FORT WORTH – The final pair of teams takes the stage this weekend in the PBR Monster Energy Team Challenge, presented by Camping World, and they’ve got some huge excitement to live up to.
It’s been a wild, wild month of rivalry games.
In case you missed it, all but two regular-season UTB events in 2025 will feature a PBR Teams rivalry game baked into Round 1. For those 15 weekends, the final 12 outs of the opening round will be a 6-on-6 game, with all outs counting both towards the UTB event and the game results.
First, we saw the New York Mavericks take down the juggernaut Florida Freedom on home dirt inside Madison Square Garden. Then, the Nashville Stampede got in on the fun, toppling the heavy-hitting Carolina Cowboys in a lopsided victory at the PBR Chicago. In Houston, Texas, the Texas Rattlers upset the reigning champion Austin Gamblers, four rides to two. And this past weekend in Pittsburgh, the Arizona Ridge Riders defeated the Oklahoma Wildcatters in the closest game yet, thanks to some walk-off heroics.
This weekend, at the Wrangler Long Live Cowboys PBR Sacramento, presented by Cooper Tires, the Kansas City Outlaws and the Missouri Thunder face off in the latest installment of the Show-Me State showdown.
Let’s take a look at what we can expect in Sacramento!
There really aren’t too many bad things to say about the Kansas City Outlaws. After a middling start to the season, going 5-4 through the first four events, the Outlaws simply erupted. They went 14-5 the rest of the way, chasing down the Carolina Cowboys to storm into the No. 1 spot on the last day of the regular season.
The PBR Teams Championship was a huge disappointment for the boys in black and orange, finishing third instead of taking the title. However, their one loss was a 4-for-5 showing against the eventual champion Austin Gamblers, who went 5-for-5, and that one buckoff was marked at 7.16 seconds. The Outlaws were 0.84 seconds away from challenging for the championship.
With 2024 World Champion Cassio Dias, Sandro Batista and Koltin Hevalow (all who finished in the Top 10 of the regular-season MVP race) leading the charge alongside Julio Cesar Marques (currently No. 7 in the UTB standings), this is one of the most dangerous teams on the docket.
While it may not’ve been the best season, 2024 was a nice step in the right direction for the Missouri Thunder. Their 12-16 record was a huge improvement over their 8-20 mark in 2023, and they climbed from last in the standings in 2023 to No. 6 in 2024.
The Thunder made waves in 2023 with their Cinderella run through the PBR Teams Championship, which unfortunately didn’t happen again in 2024. The Thunder went 1-1 before losing the Last Chance Game and finishing in the No. 6 spot – incredibly consistent.
The numbers may not be eye-popping, but the pieces might finally be coming together for Missouri with Boudreaux Campbell, Andrew Alvidrez, Felipe Furlan and Paulo Eduardo Rossetto at the top of the lineup.
2024 was a lopsided affair for these two squads. In the regular season, the Outlaws notched wins over the Thunder in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Springfield, Missouri – the Thunder’s home turf. The Thunder struck back in Kansas City, though, toppling the Outlaws at their homestand. They faced off one more time at the PBR Teams Championship, with the Outlaws steamrolling to a 262.5-88 win and sending the Thunder to the Last Chance Game, which they went on to lose.
While the odds aren’t looking good for the Thunder in Sacramento, there’s one key variable in play here: the absence of Cassio Dias. Dias broke his femur at the season-opening Unleash The Beast event in November and hasn’t seen action since then. He and Outlaws assistant coach Guilherme Marchi have been posting videos of his recovery and training on Instagram, and Dias hopes to be back in action soon. But for now, the Outlaws are without their superstar.
Can the Thunder take advantage? The Monster Energy Team Challenge thus far has been upset city, and we wouldn’t be surprised if this is the latest shocker of an outcome.
Don’t miss any of the action! The Monster Energy Team Challenge will conclude Round 1 in Sacramento and airs Sunday, Feb. 2, at noon ET on CBS.
