FORT WORTH, Texas – Recently anointed three-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme may have pulled off one of the greatest comeback runs in PBR history Sunday afternoon as he stamped the PBR record books with one HELL of a showing at the 2025 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast – Championship finale.

But he wasn’t the only man who put a significant mid-season injury in the rearview mirror en route to achieving his season-long goals inside AT&T Stadium while putting quite the cap on his first lap around the premier series circuit. 

Enter rookie Hudson Bolton, who ended year one ranked No. 7 despite only competing in 12 events throughout the 2025 slate.

And while he’s still just getting warmed up, he’s already checking one of the biggest boxes around for fresh incoming talent to earn:

Securing a PBR Rookie of the Year title.

“I haven’t soaked it all the way in yet but achieving your goals … I set out with that goal as soon as I got on tour and to achieve your goals is really a blessing,” Bolton shared in the locker room.

“I definitely achieved my goal this year but that isn’t my long-term goal, that’s for sure. The short-term goal was becoming the Rookie of the Year but the long-term goals are to become a World Champion and win a world title on the Team Series and help my teammates win. You get a couple seconds of fame and then it’s time to go back to work.”

Mature enough to accept his flowers yet young and hungry enough to realize he’s just now sitting at the table, it’s clear the New York Mavericks got a good one. 

Which they may have had an idea about when the 2024 expansion unit selected him with their first-ever and third-overall selection during last year’s New Rider Draft.

Drafted alongside good friends in John Crimber and Clay Guiton, he knew he was going to fit in just fine. But he admitted he didn’t think he’d be selected where he was, so the strong finish to his 2025 campaign has to make Head Coach Kody Lostroh, who was sitting beside his young star in the locker room, feel that much better about the trajectory of the franchise’s first-rounder.  

“When I got drafted in the first round, third pick, I really didn’t even realize I was going to go that high but getting drafted where I did was definitely a confidence booster. They (Crimber and Guiton) are the best guys going in my age group right now – To get drafted third, I’m glad to finally prove I belong up there with those guys,” he added.

“Just your rookie season overall – You’ve never gotten to see or have had success on these stages before and it’s been a really cool season.” 

Not everybody gets the tasty cake-topper that the Milan, Tennessee, native enjoyed when Sunday’s spectacle came to a close.

In fairness, he was able to enjoy several rounds of desert in the long run, as he exited Jerry World trailing just one man on the big board in Leme.

Which means he stormed his ass right into AT&T Stadium and took what was destined to be his. All while reminding himself and plenty of fans he has more than what it takes to succeed in this format, PBR Teams and beyond. 


“I always got trust in my bull riding, you know? As soon as I started, I knew it was definitely doable. I know how I ride,” Bolton added.

“I got hurt and missed about 10 events, so I got a little down on myself. But I knew I could come back. When I came back and had some success during my first event, I knew I could come back and actually win it.”

Ending his rookie season ranked No. 7 overall thanks to his productive, runner-up result, he concluded the season with a 23-for-38 (60.5%) slate, which trailed only No. 3 Brady Fielder when it comes to efficiency. 
Knowing the fellow lanky rider in the Australian won the 5-on-5 league’s first-ever Great 8 Award suggests Bolton could very much be on track to take a similar path to success. 

Perhaps the craziest part about the youngster drawing into just 12 events revolves around the idea that he bested at least one bull in 11 of them, turning in eight different Top 10 finishes along the way.

Parlaying a fourth-place, 3-for-4 finish inside the historic Fort Worth Stockyards last week to get his run started, Bolton stumbled a bit initially when the bright lights shined Saturday night.

“That Eliminations round was in Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, so I’ve been there a couple of times, so it wasn’t that bad over there since I’ve rode there a couple of times. I did pretty good over there but when I came over to AT&T, I bucked off my first bull. I think I kind of let the big stage get to me a little bit. It’s the biggest stage I’ve ever been on but I kind of settled in after that. I rode my next three and just settled into what I know,” Bolton said.

“All of my nerves were pretty calm before that last bull. I kind had a good feeling I was going to win it, so it was pretty much just go out there and have fun after that on that fourth bull. Actually getting it rode felt good, you know? It was really a blessing.”

Courtesy of said fine showing during the opening stage of anticipation inside Cowtown Coliseum, he would’ve qualified as one of the aggregate’s Top 5 contenders had he not snuck into the No. 15 rank via his noted presence on the event leaderboard. 

So, he 100% belongs ranked within and amongst the world’s top talents. 

The scary part for riders around tour is that he’s literally just getting started.

And for as much as he was challenged by his fellow first-years, he took things into his own hands when the season’s intrigue piqued highest. 

Hell, 39-year-old Nashville Stampede veteran Anderson de Oliveira paced the first-year pack for a majority of the season after spending a summer series learning from the likes of his Head Coach Justin McBride, three-time World Champion Silvano Alves and company. 

Unfortunately for the race’s drama and the athlete himself, the Brazilian has been dealing with some knee complications, thus keeping him out of the final two UTB regular season showdowns and eventually causing him to doctor in and out of the Eliminations segment.

The idea that fellow rookie in Elizmar Jeremias punched a last-minute ticket to the Championship finale courtesy of some Ride For Redemption success en route to continuing to apply some pressure throughout the four-round showcase proves it wasn’t handed to Bolton by any means.

“They definitely pushed me. They’re not slouch bull riders – Everybody here is good and those guys right there, they are some of the best in the world,” he added.

“I was sitting in third place before I came into the World Finals and it was really a dog fight to the end. Elizmar rode that last one and it really pushed me to ride better today.”

And with Bolton returning from a mid-season injury with quite the furious run, it was the New York Mavericks’ youngster who took a big ole check back to his camper. 

Which has become its own bright spot. 

“I got it last year to rodeo in – It’s a little rugged and cheap,” he said about the camper with a laugh.

“But a 19-year-old isn’t going to keep anything too nice. Stuff is going to break, so I figured I might as well not buy a nice one. But I might now.” 

Set to lead his Mavericks into the fourth season of camaraderie-driven action, what’s the next stop on his road trip to greatness? 

And will he be bringing new wheels with him to the PBR Camping World Team Series debut in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, July 11-13?

Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media