Volborg's Jess Lockwood wins Round 1 of PBR Unleash The Beast event in Tampa

TAMPA, Fla. — Two-time world champion Jess Lockwood of Volborg was victorious Friday night at Tampa’s Benchmark International Arena, winning Round 1 of the Professional Bull Riders Unleash The Beast event.
 
Launching from the chutes aboard Raider, who spun away from his hand, Lockwood stayed centered and in control to record an 89.5-point score, overtaking the lead that three-time world champion Jose Vitor Leme held for most of the round courtesy of his 87.7-point score on Pale Face.
 
“It feels great to be back,” Lockwood said. “I went through a bit of a rough patch for a couple of years. I found God again. I found myself again. My family and friends have been with me. It feels good to be back riding bulls with my PBR family.”
 
“This was the Jess Lockwood who’s won two world titles. He looked pretty dang good,” said 2016 world champion Cooper Davis on the Paramount+ telecast.
 
While Lockwood secured his third round win of the 2026 season, following leaderboard-topping scores in New York City and Milwaukee to move to No. 20 in the UTB standings, Leme finished in third place, jumping from No. 41 to No. 36.
 
Not far behind Leme in Round 1 was Kaiden Loud. Finishing fourth, Loud bested Kobi’s Train Station for 87.10 points, holding tight to his spot at No. 6 in the world standings.
 
Despite a 13th-place finish in Round 1 after riding Crazy Socks for 87.45 points, Dalton Kasel secured 8 UTB points to overtake Julio Cesar Marques for the world lead. Kasel now has a six-point lead on Marques going into the second night in Tampa.
 
The opening night of the two-day event in Tampa featured the third installment of the Monster Energy Team Challenge, an extension of the PBR Teams league that brings head-to-head, team vs. team bull riding games to the sport’s elite individual tour. The Missouri Thunder squared off against the Oklahoma Wildcatters while Florida Freedom took on the Texas Rattlers.
 
Thiago Salgado, finished the evening in second place after scoring 88.8 in his matchup with Mississippi Mercenary, an attempt to propel the Florida Freedom to a win over the Texas Rattlers in the night’s second game. Unfortunately for Salgado and his teammates, Texas prevailed when the Freedom’s closer John Crimber came up short in his attempt at a walk-off win, unable to make the 8 on Risky Business, sending the Freedom to a 153.6 to 88.8 loss.
 
The Rattlers victory was courtesy of an 83.55 ride aboard Josey Wales from Brady Fielder and a calculated re-ride decline by Braidy Randolph to keep his low 70.05-point score for his matchup with Boot Barn’s Skunk Kitty.
 
In the first Monster Energy Team Challenge game of the night, the Missouri Thunder earned a narrow win against the Oklahoma Wildcatters 86.75-73.55. Paulo Eduardo Rosetto recorded the Thunder’s lone ride for 86.75 points on Late Night Toss to earn his place at No. 5 on the event leaderboard. Missouri is now the only team to go 2-0 in Team Challenge play.
 
Cleber Henrique Marques earned the sole ride for the Wildcatters with 73.55 points on Fat Lip.
 
Action for the PBR Tampa will continue with Round 2 immediately followed by the championship round on Saturday, Jan. 24, at 7:45 p.m. ET.