FORT WORTH, Texas – Following the opening round’s conclusion during each of Unleash The Beast’s past two showdowns in Jacksonville, Florida, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, no man has felt better about their efforts than Kaique Pacheco.

Originally capturing the Round 1 win inside VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in late February, scored a flashy 90.5 points dancing with Mike’s Motive to the buzzer, the “Ice Man” returned to competition a mere seven days later, only to knock down the very same bull.

For a damn similar score, too, which came in at a round-winning 90.25 points.

Punching the air via his ever-popular celebratory outburst, it was good to see Pacheco feeling himself Saturday night. 

Even better for fans both in attendance and tuning in around the world, the epic out solidified Pacheco’s 61st round win, tying him with 2016 World Champion Cooper Davis for the fourth-most in PBR history. 

“He’s a great bull. Since the first time that I got on him, I’ve tried to leave the chutes (leaning) too much to the front, like when I get on every bull and he always gets me on the corner. Right now I’ve tried to lean a bit back, more straight, and that worked. I’m really happy,” he shared with Matt West via the PBR’s YouTube stream. 

“I’m so glad I’ve done my job well the past two weekends. I was struggling a bit the past few weekends and this is really important to me – It gives me a lot of confidence to try and fight for another world title.”

It’s clear Pacheco and Mike’s Motive have some history at this point, continuing to ebb and flow in trading victories.

But it’s Pacheco’s body of work in general lately that’s got him lurking in the midst of this week’s What to Watch For zoom-in.

Had his Round 2 matchup with Sandman gone a bit smoother, he very much could’ve found himself in the winner’s circle Sunday, if not locked into a podium finish. Bucked to the dirt in just 3.68 seconds, however, he made his way into the exclusive championship round courtesy of his single high-flying mark. 

Eventually putting an exclamation point on his weekend in the short round, becoming the top-scoring rider amongst the four cowboys to manage 2-for-3 records, Pacheco danced with Big Chili to the requisite 8 as he secured yet another Top 10 finish.

Scored a quality 89.25 points, the Brazilian would’ve needed a mere 85.75 points during his second-round out to secure what would’ve been his first win of the 2025 campaign.

But living in a “could’ve, should’ve” world can be dangerous in a profession which pays you 8, or in this case, 24, seconds at a time. 

Seeing the 2018 World Champion turn in a second-place effort the weekend prior suggests he won’t be returning to the chutes this weekend in North Little Rock, Arkansas, feeling bad for himself. 

If anything evidence suggests he’ll show up and stay hot as he continues to grind his way up the Unleash The Beast standings. 

RELATED: Where to Watch: Little Rock    

He’s been a guy who’s HOT when he’s stringing them together.

Hell, the 2023 title likely could’ve and should’ve been his, had he not got banged up during a late-season event just weeks before the season-culminating showdown inside Dickies Arena. 

Not that he needs to use that close call as motivation. He knows he remains one of the world’s top talents and intends to remind everyone of it, if he hasn’t already. 

Having already grinded his way up to the No. 8 spot, he’s one of many veterans threatening to reclaim the tour-topping honors after seeing 2024 PBR Rookie of the Year, Cassio Dias, seal the deal inside AT&T Stadium. 

Collecting a sixth-place effort last weekend, with five other cowboys staying perfect on the weekend, he’s got consecutive Top 6 finishes to his name, now 5-for-6 throughout the two-event stretch as he continues to build on his 18-for-35 record. 

He’s got the fifth-most conversions on tour and up to six Top 10 finishes on the season. 

And after seeing the veteran consistently log 85 or 86-pointers the last season or two, it’s becoming clear that he’s found another gear during his age 30 campaign. 

Set to dance with Flash Gordon during Saturday night’s opening round, will the veteran be able to stay hot down south?

So, be sure to check out all of this weekend’s action LIVE and FREE beginning Saturday night! 

This weekend’s PBR Little Rock in Little Rock, Arkansas, is set to begin Saturday, March 8 at 7:45 p.m. CT as the best bull riders in the world prepare to put on a show inside Simmons Bank Arena.  

Competition will conclude Sunday, March 9 at 1:45 p.m. CT with Round 2, followed by the short go, as riders look to put the finishing touches on the two-day showcase.  

All three rounds of action in North Little Rock will be available LIVE and FREE via 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 Little Rock begins Saturday, March 8 at 8 p.m. CT.

Fans can keep an eye on PBR.com and @PBR social media channels for the latest news, scores, wrecks and more! 

Photo courtesy of Todd Brewer/Bull Stock Media