Outlaw: ‘You have to have gravel in your guts’

By: Justin Felisko
January 14, 2019

DENVER – Chase Outlaw is hungry.

Outlaw is salivating.

The 26-year-old is hungry for a five-star caliber meal.

Outlaw is ready to be sitting at the table alongside legendary dinner guests such as three-time World Champions Adriano Moraes and Silvano Alves. Outlaw is looking forward to pulling up a chair next to two-time World Champions J.B. Mauney, Justin McBride and Chris Shivers.

If all goes to plan, Outlaw will be making sure his reservation becomes accepted like recent honored guests Kaique Pacheco (2018), Jess Lockwood (2017) and Cooper Davis (2016).

“I know what it’s like to go through the ringer and be run through the ringer,” Outlaw said Sunday afternoon as he packed up his gear bag in a smaller room just past the main locker room at Allstate Arena.

Outlaw used a flawless 3-for-3 performance, highlighted by a 90.25-point ride on Big Black, at the Chicago Invitational to move up to No. 2 in the world standings and continue his ascent into the 2019 World Championship race.

“You have to have gravel in your guts if you are going to be in this sport,” Outlaw said. “By God have I had my guts, my eyes and my mouth full of gravel. I am tired of it. I am tired of just being here. I want to be HERE. That is all I am after.”

The seven-time PBR World Finals qualifier may be 987.5 points behind world leader Jess Lockwood in the early standings, but that is the least of his concerns.

Outlaw spent the last five months battling back from two reconstructive facial surgeries that lasted close to a combined 20 hours. The first surgery alone involved 68 screws, 11 plates and four pieces of surgical mesh after he broke 15 bones on each side of his face at the PBR Touring Pro Division event at Cheyenne Frontier Days on July 23.

Do you really think Outlaw is going to back down from a challenge?

Especially one that pales in comparison to what he has gone through since the summer?

“I ain’t worried about it,” Outlaw said of the gap between him and Lockwood. “I know I am tough, and it is going to be a riding contest and who can endure the most.

“Boys better have packed their sack lunch if they want it because I endured. I know what it is like. I am a warrior.”

The 2019 PBR World Finals is still 10 months away.

“It is a marathon, not a sprint,” Outlaw added. “One bull at a time. I can’t be thinking about that. What is on my mind is the first-round bull I have in Denver. I have to keep on keeping on. Keep having my faith and keep believing in myself. Shit, there won’t be any denying me.”

Outlaw heads into the Denver PBR Chute Out at the National Western Stock Show Monday night fresh off a dominant weekend in Chicago.

If not for Lockwood’s own work of perfection, Outlaw easily could have been crowned the victor at the second event of the 2019 Unleash The Beast.

Regardless, Outlaw is moving full steam ahead and not sweating over the past.

He did his job, and he is going to to keep on bringing his lunch pail to work until he earns that prestigious gold buckle.

“Jess Lockwood is a World Champ, but I am not riding against him,” Outlaw said. “I am not riding against Sean Willingham. I am not riding against Cooper Davis. Jose Leme. My competition is against that bull.

“All I have to do is take it one bull at a time and ride each bull I get on. That is where my competition is. It is against that bull. Nobody in this locker room.”

Outlaw is one of 92 riders set to compete at the Velocity Tour event that takes place Monday-Wednesday in Denver. Forty-seven riders compete on Monday before a different set of 45 riders hit the dirt on Tuesday.

Some of the riders also competing Monday night with Outlaw include Stetson Lawrence, Koal Livingston, Derek Kolbaba, Alisson de Souza and Matt Triplett.

Outlaw takes on Snake Eyes (0-0) in Round 1.

Lockwood will be competing on Tuesday night at the National Western Coliseum.

The Top 30 riders from the two-day long round advance to Wednesday’s performance.

One rider can earn a maximum of 270 world points in Denver.

 
RidePass analyst Colby Yates says he continues to be amazed by Outlaw’s performance.

“He is tired of everybody talking about the comeback story, but I am sorry dude, that is exactly what it is,” Yates said. “It is the biggest comeback story in sports history, but maybe that is because I am partial to bull riding. It is so spectacular. If you see what happened to him at Cheyenne, and to be able to come back, he came back freaking early. Why even risk it? But for him, he came back too freaking late.

“He loves this sport so much, but I think he has a whole different (perspective) on life in general. That is playing an effect on what we are seeing week in and week out.”

Outlaw began his weekend in Chicago with 87 points aboard Trouble Maker. He then rode Lethal Larry for 87.5 points in Round 2 on Sunday to head into the championship round in third place.

The Hamburg, Arkansas, bull rider then spurred his way to town on Big Black for the fifth 90-point ride of his career.

“I didn’t even know that bull,” Outlaw said. “I can’t remember ever seeing him buck, which I don’t pay attention to anyways. My focus there is to ride the bulls and take it one bull at a time.”

Outlaw exited the arena following his ride, letting out another celebratory roar, and chest bumped with Matt Triplett right beside the Ridepass broadcast booth.

Yates says you can see Outlaw is thriving off his emotions right now.

“He has always been a spunky guy, but you see him in the locker room and he is ready to rip Hulk Hogan’s head off,” Yates said. “He can beat up Mike Tyson. He is fired up and so intense and ready.”

Outlaw and Lockwood were the only two riders to go a perfect 3-for-3 in Chicago.

Outlaw has begun the season 6-for-8 (75 percent) with the 90-point ride. He leads the PBR with 10 qualified rides at all levels of competition.

Last year, Outlaw’s mission was to make the World Finals despite his life-altering injury.

His 2019 objective is to not just get to the World Finals, not just win the World Finals, but cash in on a $1 million World Championship.

“I know if I ride every one I put my hand in the rope on, then there won’t be any denying me,” Outlaw said. “That is my game plan. I am not looking for anybody to be on my side but God, my family and me. That is all that matters. As long as I got them on my side, and I keep that hand from running off that rope and taking it to each and every one, hell, there won’t be any denying me.”

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

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