By the Numbers: Paulo Eduardo Rossetto captures first UTB win as PBR Teams takeover continues
Grinding his way from rank No. 12 up to the No. 6 spot, the switch-hitting talent is on the move.
By James Youness
FORT WORTH, Texas – It shouldn’t surprise fans that each of the weekend’s Top 14-finishing cowboys are currently inked to a PBR Camping World Team Series squad.
Some of them used their proven veteran status to earn their respective draft stock during the inaugural PBR Teams Draft back in 2022.
See the likes of Joao Ricardo Vieira and Daylon Swearingen, who finished fifth and thirteenth respectively inside The Pit. Involved in one of the league’s biggest blockbuster trades to this day, the pair of known commodities remain pillars for their respective franchises.
Holding down the fort ahead of another campaign with his Arizona Ridge Riders, 34–year-old Eduardo Aparecido managed a second-place effort as he continues to climb the qualified ride record books.
Several of them, however, have used the past few seasons as a runway to transition into a few of the summer series’ top-performing stars. And … not just within the 5-on-5 landscape, anymore!
We’re talking about guys like the weekend’s eventual champion, Paulo Eduardo Rossetto, now a switch-hitting standout for the Missouri Thunder.
Ascending all the way to the No. 6 rank after beginning the weekend in the No. 12 spot, the Brazilian topped the event leaderboard when the fourth and final round of PBR Albuquerque Ty Murray Invitational action came to a close.
Representing his first-ever Unleash The Beast event victory, he outlasted the veteran in Aparecido by a mere one point in the overall aggregate, ending the four-session showdown with 266.5 points to his opponent’s 265.5.
Which, again, shouldn’t shock many folks, as the entire 2025 premier series campaign has been jam-packed with action week in and out.
Letting it be known he would be bringing his best as early as Friday night, the 27-year-old claimed the opening round honors courtesy of the TOP-SCORED RIDE OF HIS CAREER!
Looking Mr. Demon in the eyes before riding him for the requisite 8, Rossetto turned up the heat down south in a BIG way, etching the leaderboard and his personal record book just the same.
Of course, it’s never easy following up an epic strike like that.
But when you’re hunting down late-season points and a shot at the weekend’s winner’s circle, anything is possible.
Returning to New Mexico University’s campus Saturday evening, he improved to a perfect 2-for-2 on the weekend via an 88.5-point dance with One Chance. Settling for a third-place effort in the second go, it was becoming clear the stars were aligning.
When Judgement Day arrived, the talent’s Round 3 matchup, destiny was indeed calling.
Rounding out his eventual 3-for-4 showcase with another quality 87.25-point conversion, all was well in the switch hitter’s world. And while he wasn’t able to keep the run 100% flawless, eventually forced into a touch by Nobody in a mere 2.66 seconds, he still climbed aboard the shark cage to collect his big check for the first time.
Taking home a career-high $47,175 in winnings and a personal-best 159 UTB points, we can only assume his Missouri Thunder coach Ross Coleman was shining from afar just a few months ahead of the team’s anticipated training camp.
Continuing to grind himself into striking distance, currently 379.25 points back from No. 1 Dalton Kasel, he’s got four more regular season events remaining before the 2025 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast – Eliminations begin inside Cowtown Coliseum.
Over his last nine events attended, he’s managed to ride at least one bull in eight instances. Throw out a No. 28 finish in Palm Desert, California, and a rare no-ride result in Salt Lake City, Utah, and he’s amassed an amazing seven Top 12 efforts the past two months.
The spiciest element of said run? He’s got three podium appearances to his name, including first, second and third-place honors, flanked by rather quality sixth, seventh, tenth and twelfth-place efforts, so it seems like he’s getting hot at the right time of the year!
Now the thirteenth different rider to earn a win in 2025, we can’t iterate how “up for grabs” this year’s gold buckle could truly be. Up to a 26-for-46 (56.52%) slate on the season, he's tied with No. 3 Sage Steele Kimzey and No. 7 Luciano De Castro for the third-most conversions on tour.
Back to take a look at some of the rankest rides and craziest occurrences from the weekend, By the Numbers returns to break down Rossetto’s career-first win, and tons of other outlying numerals from last weekend’s showcase in Albuquerque, New Mexico!
The Pit <3s 90s: After seeing the premier series pack combine for just eight total 90-point conversions throughout the first four showcases this month, including three in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, one in Little Rock, Arkansas, three in Louisville, Kentucky, and one in Palm Desert, California (despite the event hosting four rounds of action!), cowboys made it clear they thrive and survive on the roar of a crowd. And when they heard how loud folks inside The Pit were Friday night, they provided their end of the bargain in equal fashion.
Drumming up five different Monster Energy-sponsored efforts during the Week 20 shootout, a mark the tour has only met twice prior this season (managing five 90s in both Jacksonville, Florida, and Wichita, Kansas), the boys put on a show once more. Knowing the event champion in Rossetto set the tone with the highest ride of the weekend in Round 1 didn’t stop the likes of John Crimber and company from giving their all. Hell, the 19-year-old matched the mark courtesy of his own stellar strutting aboard Tigger.
Of course fellow youngsters in Ethan Winckler (90 points) and Kaiden Loud (90.25 points) wanted in on the fun as well. And for as epic as Eduardo Aparecido’s 90.5-pointer besting King Tut was, it ended up contributing to quite the heart-breaker, as the veteran came up just short of tying Rossetto for the event honors.
Second Place 4 No. 17: That wouldn’t halt Aparecido from exiting The Pit with quite the smile and sentiment, as the 34-year-old still netted a whopping 111 UTB points for his runner-up performance. There’s never a great time to be pleased about such a close call. But during a four-round showdown which offers a few extra points, and opportunities, he has to be more than content, as he’s all the way up to the tour’s No. 17 rank despite enduring quite the down stretch prior to his 3-for-4 weekend.
Since winning big in Salt Lake City in early February, he’d earned No. 23, 26, 19 and 27-place finishes with a pair of no-ride results mixed in there over the course of his last six events. So, he was beyond due to shake the rust off in Albuquerque. One of five men to ride 75% of their bulls on the weekend, he added conversions atop Hunter (87 points) in Round 3 and UTZ BesTex Smokestack (88 points) during the short go to his opening round dance with King Tut to forge his Week 20 resume. If he can rack up another favorable placement or two, he should very much have a chance to skip next month’s 2025 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast: Ride For Redemption segment.
Round 4 Victory: One of just two men to convert in the short round, eventually winning the Round 4 honors, the New York Mavericks' Leonardo Castro was entertaining the crowd with his rides and celebrations alike. Known to give quite the explosion of verbal and physical outbursts following a big 8, he had 89.5 reasons to celebrate late Sunday afternoon after surviving a top-notch dance with Top Dollar.
Reminding fans it’s not about how you start, rather how you finish, he put his opening round buckoff in the rearview, staying perfect for the duration after being thrown to the dirt by Constant Payne. Teaming up with Yo Mamma for an 86.25-pointer in Round 2 before besting Big X for 85.25 points in the third round, he built some momentum during the middle sessions of the contest. Walking out of The Pit as the final man atop the podium, he settled for the third-place effort en route to collecting a prized 89 UTB points. Moving up from the No. 17 rank to just outside the Top 10 at No. 11, he remains a threat to make a push up the standings, now piecing together consecutive Top 5 finishes.
One-Score Drama: Friday night’s Monster Energy Team Challenge, presented by Camping World, may have only featured two qualified rides across 12 matchups. But anytime the guys can share a locker room and start to get in sync ahead of the quickly approaching 5-on-5 season, it’s an opportunity well worth pursuing. Sure, it’s now the second-straight weekend where we’ve witnessed a two-score game. And sure, the Thunder’s Paulo Eduardo Rossetto went on to win the opening night’s honors, alongside the outright event title.
But with 12 guys riding at least two bulls on the weekend and five cowboys riding three, we have a feeling there were 10 general managers, 20+ coaches, team executives and beyond who were tuning into the PBR Albuquerque Ty Murray Invitational’s iteration of 6 vs. 6 competition.
Operating in the “hero” role for his Austin Gamblers Friday night, it was the veteran Ramon de Lima who turned in the lone 8-second go for the defending 2024 PBR Teams Champions. It wasn’t the rankest ride of the night at 87.25 points (aboard Baldy).
But coming in a quarter of a point (.25) higher than Joao Ricardo Vieira’s 87-point (atop Skippy) mark, it was good enough to cue the celebrations as the Gamblers forced an ever-decisive third game in the Land.com Texas Cup rivalry, set to take place later this month. Claiming the win 87.25-87, the league’s most recent two Champs have some business looming April 18 in Nampa, Idaho.
With the next session of talent-welcoming action slated just two days after the 2025 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast conclude inside AT&T stadium, there are officially less than 50 days separating front offices from their shot at drafting the next “Cassio Dias,” if you will.
The tour’s Top 2 dawgs in No. 1 Dalton Kasel and No. 2 Brady Fielder continue to duke it out for the sport’s top honors while preparing to represent the Austin Gamblers and Texas Rattlers during this summer’s fourth edition of camaraderie-driven competition.
Everywhere you look there are ties to the inevitable franchise-based approached. So, if you’ve zoomed out on the color-coordinated efforts a bit during the individual season, we suggest you brush up on team rosters, this year’s draft order and more because before you know it … it’ll be time to take the ride, PBR Teams style.
