(Editor's note: PBR Media release)
ARLINGTON, Texas – On Sunday afternoon Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) completed the greatest comeback in the history of PBR (Professional Bull Riders), winning the 2025 World Finals: Unleash The Beast championship.
“This is a special moment in my life,” Leme said. “I had a chance to step up and do my job. That’s what I came for: ride my bulls, do my part, and let God work on the rest.”
Seven weeks ago, coming back from injury, Leme was No. 31 in the world. He was on a mission since returning, culminating in going a torrid 8-for-8 during bull riding’s crown jewel. He swept both the Eliminations and Championship to surge from No. 18 to No. 1 in the world and capture his record-tying third World Championship. Leme, who rides for the Austin Gamblers in the separate PBR Teams league, erased an 851-point deficit to beat out No. 2 Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas) by a mere 67.5 points to win the coveted gold buckle.
Despite missing nearly half the season, sidelined for 11 events due to injury, Leme was dominant when in action. The stoic Brazilian concluded the season with a torrid 59.5% riding average, going 22-for-37 across 14 events. Leme also set the single-season earnings record in winning more than $2.15 million. He is now the richest Western sports athlete in history, with more than $8.3 million in earnings in PBR competition to date.
“I think everything happens for a reason,” added Leme, who has battled injury since winning his second world title two years ago. “I thought I was done for the season. God gave me energy to come back and do what I did. I’m so proud to be back, be healthy, do my best and win another title. Nothing is impossible, even if you’re down. God will put you in the right way to accomplish your dreams, and this is another dream come true for me.”
Leme’s march to the World Championship began last weekend in Fort Worth, Texas, at Cowtown Coliseum in a statement performance during Eliminations.
Going a perfect 4-for-4, Leme rode Whiplash (Blake Sharp/CB and Traci Lee/Richardson Land & Cattle) for 85 points in Round 1, Flapjack (Parker/OK Corralis/Gordon/D&H Cattle) for 87.5 points in Round 2, Triple Aught (Addi Drury/Nothin’ But Try/Diggers) for 89.25 points in Round 3, and Pegasus (McCoy Rodeo/Spencer Neil) for a mammoth 91.25 points in Round 4.
The perfect, event-winning performance during Eliminations netted Leme 353 Unleash The Beast points, catapulting him from No. 18 to No. 6 in the standings and within 623 points of No. 1 Kasel.
While Kasel was able to retain the No. 1 rank by going 2-for-4 and finishing sixth at the event’s opening stage, Leme was riding in seemingly unstoppable form.
His white-hot momentum continued to roll as the PBR World Finals – Championship got underway Saturday night inside AT&T Stadium.
In Round 1, Leme took on Ugly This (McCoy Rodeo/Spencer Neil) and won Round 1 with an 88.75-point score.
His domination continued in his next out as he won Round 2 by logging the first 90-point ride of the Championship, dominating Oyster Creek Brawler (Farris Cattle/Big Schott Rodeo) for 90.5 points.
Leme’s flawless Saturday brought him a crucial 177 Unleash The Beast points, and he advanced to Championship Sunday No. 4 in the world, 446 points behind No. 1 Kasel.
Kasel, however, couldn’t keep pace, shut out on the opening night of Championship as Leme honed in on the No. 1 rank.
In Round 3, Leme went head-to-head with Lari’s Speck (Lari Crane/Lucky Blue Crab/Gene Owen). He continued to ride a cut above the rest, again delivering a clutch, round-winning 89.25-point score, good for 88 Unleash The Beast points. Coupled with a buckoff from Kasel, Leme was now No. 3 in the standings and within 358 points of the No. 1 rank.
The World Championship race then came down to the final round, as Leme drafted Walk Hard (Ace Of Spades/McGuire/Martinez) and Kasel selected Hang ‘em High (Bryan T. Smith/Doss Cattle).
Leme was first to take to the chutes. He punctuated his perfect performance at the Championship with a monster 91-point ride. That meant Kasel needed to register a score of 91.25 points or more to win his first World Championship.
Bursting from the chutes, Kasel rebounded, covering Hang ‘em High as the crowd erupted in boisterous cheer. However, Kasel was marked just 90.25 points, cementing the World Championship for Leme.
When the dust settled, Leme completed a perfect sweep of the World Finals, winning every round of the Championship. His perfect performance inside AT&T Stadium earned him $1,632,666.67 and 734 Unleash The Beast points, allowing him to complete the come-from-behind surge.
Leme now ties Adriano Moraes (Cachoeira Paulista, Brazil) and Silvano Alves (Pilar do Sul, Brazil) for most World Championship titles won by one rider with three.
He is also now tied with Robson Palermo (Rio Branco Acre, Brazil) for most World Finals event titles won by one rider, also with three. Only four riders in PBR history have won the World Finals multiple times. In addition to Leme and Palermo, Troy Dunn (1995 and 1997), and J.B. Mauney (2009 and 2013) achieved the feat.
Leme is also one of only five riders to have covered all of his bulls en route to winning the PBR World Finals. He has not been bucked off a single bull in each of his three World Finals event wins.
In the PBR’s 32-year history, Leme is one of 22 different riders – and ninth Brazilian – to claim the PBR World Champion gold buckle. His title is the 15th time a rider from Brazil has won what’s been called the most difficult individual championship in professional sports.
Throughout 2025, Leme earned $2,157,388.33, including $1,632,666.67 for his third career PBR World Championship, the most money ever won in a single season in PBR history.
Leme also tied for the prestigious Lane Frost/Brent Thurman Award alongside Brady Fielder (Clermont, Queensland, Australia), presented to the rider(s) who log the high-marked ride of the 2025 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast.
Both contenders posted 91-point rides in the championship round. Leme’s effort on Walk Hard was matched by Fielder when he covered Magic Hunter (Martinez Bucking Bulls, LLC).
Hudson Bolton (Milan, Tennessee) was crowned the 2025 PBR Rookie of the Year. Finishing the season with a runner-up result at the PBR World Finals – Championship, Bolton concluded the year No. 7 in the world. He edged second-place rookie contender Anderson de Oliveira (Novo Mundo, Brazil) by 409.67 points.
In the bull pen, Man Hater (Jane Clark/Gene Owen) was crowned the 2025 YETI PBR World Champion Bull and YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Finals, earning the accompanying $100,000 and $25,000 bonuses.
The title of 2025 YETI World Champion Bull goes to the animal with the highest average bull score from their eight highest-scored outs logged during the 2024 PBR Camping World Team Series and 2025 Unleash The Beast regular season, and two outs at the 2025 PBR World Finals. The honor of YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Finals was awarded to the animal athlete who posted the top combined score across his three outs logged during the 2025 PBR World Finals.
Man Hater earned the pair of titles by posting a 45-point score in Round 2 of Eliminations, tossing Austin Richardson (Dallas, Texas) in 2.25 seconds, a 46-point score in Round 4 of Eliminations, when he was ridden by Alan de Souza (Taubate, Brazil) for 92 points, and a World Finals-best 46.5 point score during Round 3 of the Championship when he bucked off Fielder in 6.27 seconds.
Man Hater is now just the eighth animal athlete to win the World Championship in multiple seasons. He joins the elite club that includes two-time PBR World Champion Bulls Dillinger (Herrington Cattle Co.), Bones (Teague Bucking Bulls), Smooth Operator (Dakota Rodeo/Julie Rosen/Clay Struve/Chad Berger) and Ridin’ Solo (Cord McCoy/Bill McCarty/McCoy Rodeo), and three-time PBR World Champion Bulls Little Yellow Jacket (Berger/Teague/Taupin), Bushwacker (Julio Moreno Bucking Bulls) and SweetPro’s Bruiser (D&H Cattle Co./Buck Cattle Co.).
Man Hater’s 47.65-point average score is second all-time in PBR, trailing only Dillinger (47.75) in 2000.
Blake Sharp was crowned the 2025 PBR Stock Contractor of the Year for the third consecutive time. He first earned the honor in 2023, dethroning Chad Berger, who had won the award the previous nine consecutive seasons.
Andrew Alvidrez (Seminole, Texas) won the Mason Lowe Award, presented annually to the bull rider who records the highest-scored ride during the PBR Unleash The Beast regular season. The Missouri Thunder rider earned the honor for his 94-point ride aboard Man Hater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in early March.
Nick Tetz (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) was awarded the Glen Keeley Award for the second time in his career. This award goes to the Canadian bull rider earning the most Unleash The Beast points during the season.
The PBR World Finals – Championship also welcomed the final round for the 2025 Women’s Rodeo World Championship (WRWC), showcasing the top talent in women’s rodeo in breakaway roping, barrel racing, and team roping, This year marked a major milestone as the WRWC surpassed $5.3 million in total payouts since its launch in May 2020, solidifying its status as the richest women’s-only rodeo event in the world.
Breakaway roper Josie Conner (Iowa, Louisiana) led the way with a 1.81-second run to win her discipline and a check for $69,000. In the barrel racing, Taycie Matthews (Wynne, Arkansas) posted a blazing 12.674-second time to claim the crown and a WRWC-best $70,000. Ashtyn Pratz (La Mesa, New Mexico) and Tamara Lewis (Queen Creek, Arizona) dominated the team roping, registering a 6.78-second run to win the event and $64,250 combined.
PBR Unleash The Beast2025 PBR World Finals – ChampionshipAT&T Stadium – Arlington, Texas
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Round 4-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Jose Vitor Leme, 88.75-90.5-89.25-91-359.50-734 Points.
2. Hudson Bolton, 0-77.75-87.5-88.25-253.50-344 Points.
3. Felipe Furlan, 88-0-0-88-176.00-232 Points.
4. Sage Steele Kimzey, 0-0-86.75-88.75-175.50-178.5 Points.
(tie). Kaiden Loud, 87-0-0-88.5-175.50-162.5 Points.
6. Sandro Batista, 0-0-86.25-87-173.25-133 Points.
7. Alan de Souza, 85.25-87-0-0-172.25-129 Points.
8. Paulo Eduardo Rossetto, 74.75-84.75-0-0-159.50-89 Points.
9. Brady Fielder, 0-0-0-91-91.00-89 Points.
10. Lucas Divino, 0-0-0-90.75-90.75-55 Points.
11. Dalton Kasel, 0-0-0-90.25-90.25-43.5 Points.
(tie). Derek Kolbaba, 0-0-0-90.25-90.25-43.5 Points.
13. Andrew Alvidrez, 88.5-0-0-0-88.50-51 Points.
14. John Crimber, 88.25-0-0-0-88.25-43 Points.
(tie). Clay Guiton, 0-0-0-88.25-88.25-23 Points.
(tie). Daniel Keeping, 88.25-0-0-0-88.25-43 Points.
17. Cort McFadden, 86.75-0-0-0-86.75-28 Points.
18. Kaique Pacheco, 86-0-0-0-86.00-24 Points.
19. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 85.5-0-0-0-85.50-20 Points.
(tie). Elizmar Jeremias, 0-85.5-0-0-85.50-44 Points.
21. Claudio Montanha Jr., 84.5-0-0-0-84.50-13 Points.
22. Dener Barbosa, 0-83.5-0-0-83.50-36 Points.
Luciano De Castro, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Austin Richardson, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Leonardo Castro, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Koltin Hevalow, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Yan Victor Cunha, 0-0-0-0-0.00
2025 PBR Unleash The Beast Standings
(Place, Rider, Events, Wins, Top 5's, Points, Total Winnings)
1. Jose Vitor Leme, 14, 3, 5, 1,494.00, $1,929,113.33
2. Dalton Kasel, 23, 5, 10, 1,426.50, $442,078.33
3. Brady Fielder, 23, 2, 10, 1,234.00, $322,520.83
4. John Crimber, 22, 2, 6, 950.00, $255,820.00
5. Sage Steele Kimzey, 22, 1, 5, 946.75, $218,895.83
6. Clay Guiton, 24, 1, 6, 905.00, $212,138.33
7. Hudson Bolton, 12, 0, 5, 849.50, $301,967.50
8. Paulo Eduardo Rossetto, 23, 1, 4, 779.25, $154,608.33
9. Kaiden Loud, 23, 0, 4, 776.00, $186,092.50
10. Luciano De Castro, 24, 2, 4, 709.83, $152,935.83
11. Cort McFadden, 25, 0, 6, 706.08, $104,279.17
12. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 24, 1, 3, 692.00, $140,205.00
13. Andrew Alvidrez, 22, 1, 4, 651.75, $169,375.00
14. Kaique Pacheco, 23, 0, 4, 621.00, $88,323.33
15. Austin Richardson, 21, 1, 4, 615.50, $152,090.00
16. Alan de Souza, 21, 0, 1, 614.00, $111,231.67
17. Sandro Batista, 17, 0, 2, 554.33, $111,445.83
18. Lucas Divino, 25, 2, 3, 537.00, $140,748.33
19. Felipe Furlan, 19, 0, 4, 517.00, $133,941.67
20. Leonardo Castro, 25, 0, 4, 502.75, $65,850.00
21. Claudio Montanha Jr., 26, 0, 3, 480.00, $54,515.00
22. Dener Barbosa, 25, 0, 2, 470.00, $55,079.17
23. Koltin Hevalow, 25, 0, 3, 441.00, $64,504.17
24. Eduardo Aparecido, 22, 1, 3, 440.50, $89,829.17
25. Anderson de Oliveira, 21, 0, 3, 439.83, $55,290.00
26. Julio Cesar Marques, 25, 1, 2, 403.33, $84,856.67
27. Elizmar Jeremias, 24, 1, 4, 401.50, $73,779.17
28. Derek Kolbaba, 19, 1, 2, 399.50, $82,094.17
29. Adriano Salgado, 24, 0, 2, 330.83, $43,296.67
30. Daylon Swearingen, 18, 0, 0, 320.50, $31,916.67
31. João Ricardo Vieira, 24, 0, 1, 283.00, $24,925.00
32. Daniel Keeping, 18, 0, 2, 274.50, $38,550.00
33. Leandro Zampollo, 18, 0, 0, 223.00, $7,883.33
34. Thiago Salgado, 16, 0, 2, 203.00, $34,350.00
35. Boudreaux Campbell, 21, 0, 1, 200.33, $17,852.50
36. Mason Taylor, 22, 0, 1, 199.33, $19,066.67
37. Vinicius Pinheiro Correa, 16, 0, 2, 188.00, $20,916.67
38. Ethan Winckler, 9, 0, 0, 175.50, $28,850.00
39. Dawson Branton, 17, 0, 0, 156.50, $14,600.00
40. Bruno Carvalho, 13, 0, 2, 143.50, $19,675.83
41. Miguel de Jesus, 2, 0, 0, 115.50, $2,600.00
42. Ezekiel Mitchell, 7, 0, 1, 114.00, $8,580.00
43. Alex Cerqueira, 16, 0, 0, 107.50, $3,477.50
44. Rogério Venâncio, 13, 0, 0, 94.58, $2,200.00
45. Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 12, 0, 0, 90.50, $5,908.33
