FORT WORTH, Texas – Traditionally, most of the riders featured in our weekly “What to Watch For” articles are coming off a productive weekend or in the midst of some sort of encouraging stretch.

That’s not the 1:1 case this week for No. 20 Alan de Souza, who went 0-for-2 last weekend in Billings, Montana.

Instead, we’re zooming in on the Brazilian for a few other reasons.

One, being that he occupies the No. 20 rank with just two regular season Unleash The Beast events remaining, which represents the number of riders who will be competing inside AT&T Stadium May 17-18 during the 2025 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast – Championship.

He’ll need to make a few more moves if he wants to be ranked within the Top 15 by the time the first of the three-stage postseason (2025 PBR World: Unleash The Beast – Eliminations) concludes, though, if he wants one of the prized 15 automatic invites to Jerry World.

Of course, if Souza is isn’t able to propel himself into the Top 15, he and the remainder of the pack will have a chance to secure one of the final five spots via the middle 2025 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast – Ride For Redemption stage inside Cowtown Coliseum May 14-15.

So his No. 20 rank is a reminder that he’s done a lot – but there’s still a lot left to accomplish down the home stretch. 

The other main reason we circled back to the veteran during this late-season window involves the Nashville Stampede athlete’s insane run to close out the 2024 season. 

Going on quite the tour-topping tear throughout the late-March and April runway, which eventually led him to a career-best No. 5 finish, Souza turned in consecutive runner-up efforts in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Nampa, Idaho, (the exact location the circuit is preparing to visit April 18-19).  

But the then-30-year-old’s run didn’t truly get spicy until he went on to claim back-to-back event titles in Everett and Tacoma, Washington, respectively. 

Yet, with this year’s ever-competitive gold buckle race getting the best out of guys left and right, Souza is just 2-for-8 over the course of his last three appearances. 

Not exactly the energy he wants to be bringing into Cowtown Coliseum, let alone Ford Idaho Center.

However, the light at the end of the tunnel could be within reach as of Friday night, as the established cowboy is preparing for a head-to-head matchup with Smoke Down.

A third head-to-head matchup, that is.

And when we consider the Stampede standout has bested said bovine in each of their first two dances, including an 85.5-point conversion back in 2023 and … checks notes … an 86.75-pointer on April 18, 2024, he’ll get a chance to improve to 3-for-3 exactly 365 days after surviving the requisite 8 aboard the very same bull which helped him kickstart his six-out ride streak and overall 7-for-9 finish to his 2024 regular season.  

Bringing a 21-for-43 (48.84%) slate into the approaching Week 22 showcase, he remains tied with No. 15 Eduardo Aparecido for the 15th-most conversions on tour. 

Averaging an 85.37-point score across his qualified ride count, it’s not surprising that he hasn’t captured any round wins this season. But after winning a pair of event titles last year, alongside his pair of close calls, we’re a bit surprised he hasn’t been one of the dozen-plus riders who have climbed atop the shark cage at the end of the weekend.

Not yet at least! 

With 10 Top 15 efforts to his name, five of which also qualifying as Top 10 finishes, he’s knocked down at least one bull in 14 of the 17 contests he’s participated in. Which means he’s managed to maintain his Top 20 status despite missing four of this year’s showcases. 


It also means he’s about due to make some podium-related noise. 

Will the Brazilian be able to claim some hardware this weekend as the sprint to the 2025 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast continues?

RELATED: Where to Watch: Nampa

Set to compete during the sixth out of the evening, fans can tune in LIVE and FREE Friday night to find out! 

This weekend’s Progressive PBR Nampa in Nampa, Idaho, is set to begin Friday, April 18 at 7:45 p.m. MT as the best bull riders in the world prepare for battle within Ford Idaho Center.

The action will conclude Saturday, April 19 at 6:45 p.m. MT with the second round, followed by the short go, as riders look to capture crucial late-season UTB points in the race for the 2025 PBR World Championship. 

All three rounds of action in Nampa 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 Nampa begins Friday, April 18 at 8 p.m. MT.

CBS Television Network will air this weekend’s Monster Energy Team Challenge, presented by Camping World, Land.com Texas Cup matchup between the Austin Gamblers and Texas Rattlers Sunday, April 20 at 10:30 a.m. MT.

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

Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media