Starting lineups, draw revealed for 2025 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast – Eliminations Day 3
Electric Saturday night matchups set to invade Cowtown Coliseum, Fort Worth Stockyards May 10.
By James Youness
FORT WORTH, Texas – After combining for just 10 conversions during the opening night of action inside Cowtown Coliseum, the premier series pack took a slight step back Friday night, with cowboys collectively recording just seven total conversions.
Or, should we say, the rank pen came in and dominated via stunning World Finals fashion.
The bulls might not understand exactly what’s on the line at this point – But they can sense something is in the air, with several awards and big checks set to be claimed just the same.
So, whoever truly wants to increase their odds of captured the ever-coveted gold buckle inside Jerry World next weekend is going to need to bring their A-game across these final two Eliminations rounds.
Which, after seeing yet another youngster in Clay Guiton get in on the fun during last night’s second round, it appears the red-headed menace is one of said talents looking to keep himself in world title contention.
Rather apparent Friday night after the talent captured his first round win of the 2025 campaign en route to recording the first and only 90-pointer on the board so far during this year’s season-culminating showdown.
Doubling down on his epic 8-second journey itself, the 91.25 points earned for his elegant dance with Eyes On Me represented the 19-year-old’s best score to date across any PBR-sanctioned showdown, now a full point better than his previous best 90.25-pointer earned during his second weekend on tour.
And when we consider he produced two separate 90-pointers within the session in which he announced his arrival on the premier series, it’s not surprising the Cherryville, North Carolina, native is leading the pack heading into Day 3. Especially knowing his mother, Brandy, is rooting him on in-person as part of the Cowtown crowd.
For as much as Guiton’s eventual Round 2-winning efforts helped solidify himself a spot atop the event leaderboard, albeit just three quarters of a point (.75) behind his best friend in No. 3 John Crimber, the 89 UTB points he earned for the big win skyrocketed the sophomore standout all the way to No. 5 in the UTB standings, putting him within 57.25 points of No. 4 Sage Steele Kimzey, who suffered a nasty shot Friday night and remains questionable for Saturday’s session.
With just five men bringing two scores into Round 3, the Eliminations event title is still very much up for grabs.
Two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme, freshly above the Top 15 cutline, sits in the No. 5 spot on the big board ahead of his approaching dance with Triple Aught courtesy of his 2-for-2 start inside Cowtown Coliseum, while No. 21 Koltin Hevalow readies for a dance with Tulsa Time just two points ahead in the aggregate, also flawless on the weekend.
2025 hasn’t been the typical year for either Hevalow or Leme, honestly. But a few consecutive conversions can switch things up pretty quickly. Leme has improved four ranks since stepping foot in Fort Worth, Texas, up from No. 18 to No. 14, while Hevalow has leapt from No. 24 to 21, now just half of a point (.5) behind No. 20 Hudson Bolton in the UTB standings as of Saturday morning.
Of course, things are already in the hands of the next generation now, apparently, as a trio of talented 19-year-olds occupy the Top 3 spots ahead of the third Eliminations shootout in Guiton, Crimber and Bolton.
It's been a rather entertaining start to the two-week showcase, with young talents continuing to push the veterans to their core – All for a chance at claiming the $1 million bonus when the tour shifts gears to AT&T Stadium May 17-18 during the end-all, be-all Championship showdown.
Perhaps one of the biggest surprises from the circuit’s first two rounds revolves around the idea both of the tour’s Top 2 talents in No. 1 Dalton Kasel and No. 2 Brady Fielder have combined for an 0-for-4 start, as neither ace has found solid traction during their opening two matchups.
Which only further invites drama to seep into the walls of Cowtown Coliseum Saturday evening when the tour reconvenes for its third and final p.m. perf of the weekend (with Championship Sunday’s slate set to begin at 1:45 p.m. CT).
Getting banged up during his opening round dance, veteran Michael Lane has officially doctored out of the remainder of the event, leaving just 43 cowboys to duke it out Saturday night.
However, both Leandro Zampollo and Anderson de Oliveira remain questionable for tonight’s third round after missing Friday’s go. Given they haven’t been assigned bulls yet in the official draw, we may be looking at a 41-man pack, all things considered.
Yet, the final number of contestants should be 42 come 8 p.m., assuming Dawson Branton is back atop the chutes after doctoring out of Round 2. Primed to dance with John 14:6, we’ve seen the recently acquired Carolina Cowboys talent enjoy some success in this building before.
Alas, we’ll await the approaching third round knowing a variety of scenarios can play out in both the event aggregate and UTB standings – Exactly the dramatic runway we’ve been waiting for!
Lineups and draw are in for the third of four 2025 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast – Eliminations rounds, so we’re taking a closer look at Saturday night’s matchups, rematches and everything you need to know ahead of Day 3’s action-packed slate!
With the premier series continuing to invade Fort Worth, Texas, May 10-11, we’re breaking down starting lineups for competition inside Cowtown Coliseum (With coverage set to begin at 7:45 p.m. CT via PBR’s YouTube channel, the PBR App and RidePass and at 8 p.m. via The Cowboy Channel).
ELIMINATIONS DAY 3 STARTING LINEUPS Marcus Mast vs. The Paint Ashton Sahli vs. Buffalo Heifer Afonso Quintino vs. Oyster Creek Brawler Bob Mitchell vs. El Chapo Ethan Winckler vs. Tyrone Bruno Carvalho vs. Mr. Wilson Dawson Branton vs. John 14:6 *Thiago Salgado vs. Washita Red Vinicius Pinheiro Correa vs. Cash Goblin Mason Taylor vs. Bangarang *Boudreaux Campbell vs. Sky Walker Felipe Furlan vs. Plowboy Daniel Keeping vs. Judgement Day Joao Ricardo Vieira vs. Velvet Revolver Adriano Salgado vs. Blonde Bomber Daylon Swearingen vs. Chico Derek Kolbaba vs. Big Chili Koltin Hevalow vs. Tulsa Time Julio Cesar Marques vs. Down Payment Hudson Bolton vs. Rip *Elizmar Jeremias vs. In My Blood Sandro Batista vs. Bamboozle Kaiden Loud vs. Let Him Fly Dener Barbosa vs. Smooth Violation Jose Vitor Leme vs. Triple Aught Claudio Montanha Jr. vs. UTZ BesTex Smokestack Alan de Souza vs. Miller Time Eduardo Aparecido vs. Bandito Bug Austin Richardson vs. Rank Frank *Lucas Divino vs. Chateau Montelena’s Montana Jacket Leonardo Castro vs. Badlands Clay Guiton vs. Let’s Roll Andrew Alvidrez vs. Lieutenant Dan Keyshawn Whitehorse vs. Ugly This Kaique Pacheco vs. Benjamin Ranklin *Cort McFadden vs. Hunting Trip *Paulo Eduardo Rossetto vs. Night Agent *Luciano De Castro vs. Hoka Hey *Sage Steele Kimzey vs. Snap Chatter John Crimber vs. Rorschach Brady Fielder vs. Bueno Dalton Kasel vs. The Kraken *Denotes Rematch
REMATCHES Boudreaux Campbell vs. Sky Walker (3.67 seconds in Nampa, Idaho) Cort McFadden vs. Hunting Trip (85.75 points in Austin, Texas) Elizmar Jeremias vs. In My Blood (6.6 seconds in Chicago, Illinois) Lucas Divino vs. Chateau Montelena’s Montana Jacket (1.4 seconds) Luciano De Castro vs. Hoka Hey (85.75 points in Springfield, Missouri) Paulo Eduardo Rossetto vs. Night Agent (86.75 points in Indianapolis, Indiana) Sage Steele Kimzey vs. Snap Chatter (90.5 points in Fort Worth, Texas) Thiago Salgado vs. Washita Red (3.88 seconds in Las Vegas, Nevada; 6.94 seconds in Albuquerque, New Mexico)
OUT DUE TO INJURY/OTHER Anderson de Oliveira (injury) Michael Lane (injury) Leandro Zampollo (injury)
FOLLOW ALONG This weekend’s 2025 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast – Eliminations in Fort Worth, Texas, is set to continue Saturday, May 10 at 7:45 p.m. CT as the world’s most talented bull riders duke it out inside Cowtown Coliseum during the third of four action-packed showcases!
The Eliminations stage will conclude Sunday, May 11 at 1:45 p.m. CT, with the Top 15-ranked men in the UTB standings joining the Top 5 cowboys in the Eliminations event aggregate (who haven’t already qualified) in exiting Cowtown Coliseum with an automatic berth to the Championship, May 17-18. The other 20 riders will be joined by an additional wave of talent, thus set to duke it out for the final 5 spots inside the home of the Dallas Cowboys May 14-15 during Ride For Redemption.
The stream for Eliminations begins Saturday, May 10 at 7:45 p.m. PT. New this year, The Cowboy Channel will also stream the opening four rounds of action, with coverage beginning at 8 p.m. CT.
