2022 PBR Brazil Champion Cassio Dias Dazzles in UTB Debut
By: James Youness
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Being the new guy in any instance surely involves some pros and cons, but it’s rarely easy to step right in and feel comfortable, let alone find success.
Add in a few international flights, a language barrier and a competition against the best bovine athletes and professional bull riders in the world … another few layers.
Usually, riders must find their niche in the chutes and spot in the locker room; gain some trust, prove they’re capable while working their way up the rankings, all things that 2022 PBR Brazil Champion Cassio Dias has endured during his come up.
They just all happened to occur a couple thousand miles south of where the 21-year-old found himself Friday evening, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he was making his official Unleash The Beast debut.
Bringing his championship reputation into The Pit, emotions swirling, the 141-lb. cowboy could be seen on RidePass on Pluto TV preparing as if it was any other out. The reality of the situation was quite the opposite, but that wouldn’t affect much for the poised competitor.
One of the greatest aspects of the annual Ty Murray Invitational, presented by The Downs Racetrack & Casino, is its extended format, allowing some of the best bull riders ranked outside of the UTB’s Top 35 to receive a chance to compete on the industry’s biggest stage.
Just the type of opportunity a guy like Dias was looking for.
With three-time World Champions Adriano Moraes (1994, 2001, 2006) and Silvano Alves (2011, 2012, 2014) watching on, fellow Brazilian trailblazers and the only two men in PBR history to rack up three gold buckles on the premier series tour, Dias didn’t seem out of place by any means.
Matched against High Noon during his first-ever UTB attempt, the duo spun to the left for all eight seconds as Dias maintained favorable positioning by capitalizing on his low center of gravity. Adding some sizzle to his dismount, the Brazilian landed perfectly en route to high-fiving some friends atop the chutes and saluting his bullfighters as he exited the dirt.
After drawing some initial concern for a possible bull slap, the judges quickly dispelled the drama and confirmed Dias’ 86.75-point score, allowing him to release a few verbal celebrations, and likely some potential worry, as the talented youngster rocketed up to second place on the event’s scoreboard.
Eventually seeing Canadian Josh Frost log an 87.25-point score atop Ah Hell during his 2023 UTB debut, and later No. 2 Dalton Kasel producing the round’s best score during the last out of the evening (88.75 points aboard Tortuga), Dias exited the first night of Round 1 competition in fourth place, with Eduardo Aparecido’s previously established 88-point score representing the only other top-end effort.
Not too shabby for one of the newest kids on the block.
While everything the talented Brazilian had accomplished in his life led up to that point, Friday night’s conversion wasn’t his first stateside appearance. Having competed in the U.S. for just over a month leading up to his UTB debut, via the Touring Pro Division’s PBR Stockyards Showcase series in Fort Worth, Texas, his out in Albuquerque was just his sixth-ever appearance at a U.S.-based PBR event.
Out of his four appearances inside Cowtown Coliseum, he’s managed a pair of Top 6 finishes so far.
Most recently finishing in sixth place March 16, his season-best result came just two weekends prior, March 2, when Dias went 2-for-2 en route to his first-ever event victory in America.
First posting an 85.5-point ride on Crystal Vision in Round 1, the talented rider sealed the deal in the finale, by recording an event-best 89.5 points atop Minion in Round 2, barely missing what would’ve been his first 90-point ride in the United States.
Dias will look to earn another invite to this fall’s Challenger Series Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he competed stateside for the first time ever Nov. 3, 2022, a berth acquired by winning the 2022 PBR Brazil Championship.
In the short term, he will watch on as Saturday’s slate runs its course, which includes the remaining competitors from Round 1 later parlayed with this weekend’s 15/15 Bucking Battle contestants, as day 2 of the three-day southern spectacle continues in Albuquerque. Saturday’s action is set to begin at 6:45 p.m. MT and can be viewed on RidePass on Pluto TV.
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
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