No. 1 J.B. Mauney
World Championships: 1
Best World Finals Finish: 1st (2013: 6-for-6; 2009: 8-for-8)
2015 BFTS Stats:
Rides: 36
Attempts: 62
Riding Percentage: 58.06 percent
Top Ride: 92.25 points on SweetPro’s Long John in Thackerville, Oklahoma.
Wins: 4 (Des Moines, Iowa; Biloxi, Mississippi; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Tucson, Arizona)
15/15 Bucking Battle Victories: 0
Round Wins: 14
Top 10: 12
Top 5: 10
90-point Rides: 4
Last 10: 7-for-10
Best regular-season performance: When J.B. Mauney won his first BFTS event (Des Moines, Iowa) back after sustaining a torn ACL earlier this season, he was disappointed he didn’t finish the job with a ride aboard Modified Clyde.
Mauney convinced himself in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that he needed to earn the victory atop DaNutso even though his event win was already locked up.
He did just that by riding DaNutso for 89.75 points to win the championship round on top of his event victory.
The two previously met during the Champion’s Challenge in Decatur, Texas, when DaNutso bucked him off in 7.4 seconds.
Mauney earned 200 of his season-high 630 points via round victories. He won Round 1 with a 91.25-point ride on Buck Autism.
The Mooresville, North Carolina, bull rider earned 30 points with a fifth-place finish in Round 2 after riding Gentleman Jim for 86 points.
Noteworthy: Mauney heads into the World Finals riding a streak of six consecutive qualified rides and is poised to become the fifth rider in PBR history to win multiple world titles.
The 2013 World Champion has ascended to the No. 1 ranking in the world with a BFTS-best four event victories after returning from a torn left ACL in mid-April and an organization-leading 14 round wins.
Mauney leads all BFTS riders with his 58.06-percent riding average and four 90-point rides.
The 28-year-old has been dominant since returning from the injury and has earned 81.11 percent of his world points since returning from the torn ACL with a victory in Des Moines, Iowa.
His dominance has him with a 1,315-point lead on Joao Ricardo Vieira and the world title is his to lose in Las Vegas with a maximum of 2,200 points available for one rider to earn.
While a torn ACL can be devastating to an athlete’s season, Mauney came back as the best rider on tour and will certainly finish inside the Top 10 of the world standings for the ninth consecutive season. This year will also be the seventh time in his career he has finished inside the Top 5 of the standings as well.
Mauney also could potentially win a record-tying third World Finals event title.
The $1 million bonus that comes with the PBR World Championship would make Mauney the first rider in PBR history to surpass $6 million in career earnings.
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
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