Vieira Returning for Thackerville; Mauney Playing it Safe

PUEBLO, Colo. – Fabiano Vieira has been able to ride through a dislocated shoulder once before, but can he do it again?

Vieira, currently fourth in the world standings, is set to return to competition at this weekend’s Winstar World Casino and Resort Invitational in Thackerville, Oklahoma, after missing last weekend’s Built Ford Tough Series event because of a left shoulder injury.

“It looks good,” Vieira said on Tuesday afternoon. “I am going to try this week. I can raise my arm pretty high now.”

Vieira later cracked, “If the bull doesn’t kick my arm, I will be good. I don’t know. We will see. I am not scared.”

Meanwhile, two-time World Champion J.B. Mauney is electing to “play it safe” and will not compete in Thackerville because of a left hip pointer and abdominal contusion he sustained in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last weekend.

“I feel alright,” Mauney said Wednesday morning. “My stomach is still sore. My damn muscles in my stomach swelled up, Tandy (Freeman) was telling me. I have been feeling better and have been soaking in Epsom salts.”

Mauney is third in the world standings and trails world leader Kaique Pacheco by 352.83 points.

When asked if he was concerned about missing a week with such a close world title race, Mauney laughed.

“Ah, hell no,” Mauney said. “It gives those guys a fighting chance.”

Mauney hopes to be ready to return for the PFIWestern.com Invitational, presented by Bass Pro Shops, on Sept. 9-11 in Springfield, Missouri.

“Yeah, I should be good by then,” Mauney said.

Vieira dislocated his riding arm shoulder during the semifinals of the Music City Knockout in Nashville two weeks ago attempting to ride Hammer It Again.

Hammer It Again had launched the 34-year-old into the steel bucking chutes in 4.06 seconds, but the real damage came when the bull kicked Vieira’s shoulder as he was on the ground.

Vieira previously dislocated the shoulder earlier this summer at the Calgary Stampede attempting to ride Radioactive. The Perola, Brazil, bull rider said prior to Nashville that his shoulder had recovered and he had no doubts about it. Vieira had begun Nashville with two impressive qualified rides before Hammer It Again put an end to his Music City Knockout championship aspirations.

“After Calgary, I had one month. This time it will be 14 days,” Vieira said. “I will put tape on it, keep it tight so it can’t move.”

This is the second major shoulder injury for Vieira in the past three seasons. Vieira had torn his right rotator cuff in March 2014 and then dislocated the same shoulder in May 2014 attempting to ride Cowtown Slinger.

Vieira miraculously never got surgery on his right shoulder and still posted a fifth-place finish in the world standings in 2014 and a fourth-place finish last year.

He is currently fourth in the world standings, 760.84 points behind world leader Kaique Pacheco.

The 34-year-old reiterated last week he would not consider surgery on his left shoulder and has once again opted for rehab at Fit-N-Wise Sports Medicine in Decatur, Texas. He has been getting massage treatments on his shoulder and partaking in a series of stretching routines.

Vieira has a 15/15 Bucking Battle matchup against Red Rover on Saturday night. Red Rover bucked off Vieira last year in 1.91 seconds in Thackerville.

“I rode him one time last year in Thackerville. He bucked hard. It hurt,” Vieira said.

Although Vieira’s first test will come in Round 1. The draw has yet to be set by the PBR competition department.

“The first bull will test my shoulder,” Vieira concluded. “I feel I look good now, but I don’t know.”

15/15 BUCKING BATTLE MATCHUPS

Robson Palermo vs. Midnight Train (11-0, BFTS)
Tanner Byrne vs. Jeremiah (22-1, BFTS)
Ryan Dirteater vs. Mystical (1-0, BFTS)
Derek Kolbaba vs. SweetPro’s Bruiser (19-5, BFTS)
Jess Lockwood vs. Margy Time (18-0, BFTS)
Mike Lee vs. Big Cat (16-0, BFTS)*
Wallace de Oliveira vs. Hey Jack (3-0, BFTS)*
Shane Proctor vs. Oscar P (14-0, BFTS)
Paulo Lima vs. Cochise (13-3, BFTS)*
Eduardo Aparecido vs. Stone Sober (33-1, BFTS)
Joao Ricardo Vieira vs. Big Benny (4-3 BFTS)
Fabiano Vieira vs. Red Rover (10-0, BFTS)*
Lachlan Richardson vs. Seven Dust (13-0, BFTS)
Cooper Davis vs. Wicked (28-7, BFTS)*
Kaique Pacheco vs. Hammer It Again (3-1, BFTS)*
*Rematch

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko