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Countdown to 600: Marchi has Chance at Making History on Sunday Afternoon

By: Justin Felisko
April 01, 2017

Eduardo Aparecido injured his riding arm after being bucked off by Lifting Lives in Round 2. Photo: Andy Watson / BullStockMedia.com

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – World leader Eduardo Aparecido will be out of competition for at least one week after opting out of Saturday night’s 15/15 Bucking Battle because of multiple injuries to his riding arm.

Aparecido was bucked off in Round 2 of the First PREMIER Bank PREMIER Bankcard Invitational by Lifting Lives in 3.53 seconds and immediately grasped at his right arm/elbow.

The 26-year-old then decided to not compete in the 15/15 Bucking Battle after Dr. Tandy Freeman diagnosed him with a strained right brachialis and sprained right elbow (UCL).

Aparecido, with the help of Marco Eguchi translating, explained he first injured his arm last week in Glendale, Arizona, attempting to ride Bad Beagle in the Built Ford Tough Championship Round.

He then further injured his arm on Saturday night.

“I am feeling full pain in my elbow,” Aparecido said. “I think I stretched a ligament too much inside. That is why (I didn’t compete in the 15/15.). I don’t want to ride with pain and make it worse. Maybe if I take some time off, I can let it heal.”

Aparecido currently holds a 1,127.5-point lead on No. 2 Jess Lockwood.

Based on PBR rule 3.1.6.7, “In the event that a rider withdraws himself from competition in any round due to an injury that does not prevent him from being able to compete on the basis of being medically unfit as described in rule 3.1.6.6, that rider will be deemed ineligible for competition for the next BFTS event on the schedule.”

Freeman said, “He has a muscle strain and sprain of the elbow. We will see how he does this week (at rehab). He is out until Tacoma because of the rules. He is going to do some physical therapy and get some rest. If he is not feeling better, we will get an MRI the following week.”

Aparecido, who had tried taping his arm Saturday night to alleviate the pain, said he understood the rule and wasn’t concerned about having to miss next weekend’s Stanley Performance In Action Invitational in Billings, Montana.

“It don’t matter,” he said. “I am going to take some days off. It is OK that I am going to miss the next week. I want to be getting better so it doesn’t become worse. I tried taping my arm this weekend, but I was still feeling (pain.)”

Aparecido’s injury opened the door for world title contenders Lockwood and Chase Outlaw in the 15/15 Bucking Battle.

Lockwood and Outlaw are 0-for-2 in the regular-formatted Sioux Falls BFTS event, but the two challengers to Aparecido used the 15/15 Bucking Battle to take a small bite out of his world lead.

Outlaw, the No. 3 rider in the world standings, converted on his re-ride bull, Cooper Tires Brown Sugar, for 90.5 points to win his third career 15/15 Bucking Battle.

The 24-year-old earned 150 points toward the world standings and trails Aparecido by 1,130.84 points.

“I was excited as could be when I found out I had Brown Sugar for the re-ride,” Outlaw said. “That bull just feels good and rides good. If you stub your toe on him, he is going to buck you off.”

Outlaw was awarded a re-ride after his original bull, Mystikal, hipped himself leaving the bucking chute earlier in the evening.

Meanwhile, Lockwood was able to take a stab at Aparecido’s lead after watching the world leader gain 880 points toward the world standings when he was out of competition for five weeks recovering from two groin tears.

Lockwood rode BC Circular Insanity for 90.25 points and a second-place finish (90 world points) Saturday night.

The ride also ended a streak of seven consecutive buckoffs dating back to when he rode BC Circular Insanity to win the Sacramento Clash in January.

“That is a great bull of Chad Berger’s,” Lockwood said. “My first two back (this weekend) didn’t go good. Dad kind of said, ‘Well, heck.’ I said ‘Well, I bucked off one into my hand and one away from my hand.’

“We fixed that bucking off part.”

The 19-year-old knows he can’t get caught up in point differentials or how the other riders are doing compared to him, let alone Aparecido’s health.

“Whether he is winning or bucking off, I still need to ride my bulls,” Lockwood said. “It doesn’t matter what anyone else does. That is not going to fix my outcome, so I just try to worry about myself.”

Barbosa diagnosed with concussion; Wing bruises right calf

World No. 6 Rubens Barbosa was diagnosed with a concussion by Freeman after his head collided with Seven Dust’s during the 15/15 Bucking Battle.

Barbosa was backboarded out of the arena and into the PBR Sports Medicine team during the CBS national broadcast. He is not competing Sunday during Round 3.

No. 10 Stormy Wing bruised his right calf when he was stepped on by Cochise during the 15/15 Bucking Battle. Wing is probable for Round 3, per Freeman.

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

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