Vieira Ready to Belt a Winning Tune again in Nashville

By: Justin Felisko
August 14, 2018

PUEBLO, Colo. – Fabiano Vieira leaned against a wall inside the BOK Center and cleared his throat.

“I love songs, the city and its music!” Vieira boasted before dancing sarcastically.

Vieira was referencing Nashville – The Music City – and his string of continuous success at the annual PBR Major event held inside Bridgestone Arena.

The seven-time PBR World Finals qualifier finally cashed in at the event last year for a $116,300 victory after previously advancing to the final in the previous two seasons.

Vieira isn’t really sure how to put into words why he has found so much success in the PBR’s most grueling event, which features 36 riders competing in a head-to-head bracket event.

Maybe it is his pure enjoyment of singing a song in the locker room, but maybe it has more to do with his grizzled determination and highly talented riding ability.

In 2015, Vieira won the Ride Score Championship – a $50,000 prize that year awarded to the rider with the highest combined aggregate score – in Nashville, but he failed to eliminate Kaique Pacheco in the final round.

Vieira then may have been able to defeat Pacheco in 2016, but he had to withdraw from the event after he dislocated his shoulder during his 4.06-second buckoff against Hammer It Again.

“I don’t remember nothing from that event because I was in so much pain,” Vieira recalled.

Vieira is right up there with Pacheco in terms of riders with the most success in Nashville history.

He is 8-for-15 in his career at Bridgestone Arena since the event became a PBR Major in 2015, and he has won over $200,000 in his honky-tonk career.

Some believe that Vieira may have a World Championship on his resume if not for repeated injuries to his shoulders.

Just look at 2016. If Vieira had not dislocated his shoulder and won the Music City Knockout, he would have taken over the world No 1 ranking.

Vieira eventually finished 2016 ninth in the world standings.

He has had no issues with his shoulders this season, and has competed in 16 of the 18 premier series events. However, Vieira has had to battle through a torn ACL, which cost him only one event in February, a bruised right knee, a concussion and a springtime hand injury from a team roping mishap.

Regardless, Vieira has quietly been putting together one of the best runs on the PBR 25^th: Unleash The Beast dating back to his victory in Columbus, Ohio, on April 28.

“My shoulders are very good now,” he said. “I can put my arms up high.”

Vieira has ridden seven of his last nine on the premier series, including a flawless 4-for-4 performance in Tulsa, Oklahoma, this past weekend, to sneak up to No. 10 in the world standings.

 
“You cannot count this guy out because when he is on, it just looks easy,” two-time World Champion and CBS Sports Network commentator Justin McBride said.

“I just come here this week to practice for next week,” Vieira joked in Tulsa. “This is a nice event. I am ready for next week.”

In fact, Vieira could rocket up to No. 2 in the world standings with a second consecutive Music City Knockout title this weekend.

Vieira heads into the competition 1,334.17 points behind Pacheco – the world leader.

“It is a big event with a lot of points,” Vieira said. “It is a good one to win.”

The 36-year-old laughed when asked if he prepares a certain way for the possibility of facing at minimum four bulls on Saturday night.

The reality is Vieira has not purposely worked out or rehabbed in the traditional sense in months.

“I have been working hard at my house,” Vieira said. “I haven’t been to the gym in two to three months. I just stay at home and ride at events here. I work around the house. I team rope every day and I stay relaxed for my body.”

Vieira is 18-for-44 (40.91 percent) on the premier series with six Top-10 finishes this season and a 15/15 Bucking Battle victory. If not for four disqualifications for chute clock violations, Vieira would have a 45-percent riding average – his highest since 2015 (52.44 percent).

If he could put a late-season run together and win a World Championship, he would become the second rider to win a World Championship at 36 years old. Adriano Moraes would remain the oldest rider to win the world title by three months.

Vieira has finished in the Top 10 of the world standings in four consecutive seasons and six of the last seven.

He hasn’t thought much about the gold buckle and its $1 million bonus, but it certainly is on his radar.

“Every bull rider in the Top 15 has a chance to win the world title,” Vieira concluded. “I know I have a chance. I have eight events until the Finals. There is good money, good points at the Finals too. I don’t know. I am going to keep riding, riding and riding.”

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

© 2018 PBR Inc. All rights reserved.