Jesus Wins Round 1 at Unleash The Beast in Las Vegas

By: Mandi McCary

LAS VEGAS – In 1994, the world’s top bull riding league held its inaugural World Finals at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. On Friday night, PBR (Professional Bull Riders) returned to the history-rich venue for Round 1 of the PBR Unleash The Beast – Las Vegas Invitational, and this year’s dramatic title chase tightened further.

Adding to the historic nature, the weekend also marks the first time the league has hosted a fan-attended event in the Entertainment Capital of the World since November 2019 due to COVID-19 restrictions in the state.

As the exhilarating night came to an end, Cody Jesus (Window Rock, Arizona) earned his second round victory of the 2021 PBR Unleash The Beast (UTB) season by winning Round 1.

“It’s good to be back,” said Jesus. “It’s just taking it one bull at a time, believing in myself and seeing where the chips fall.”

The chips fell exactly where they needed to for Jesus as he launched from the chutes aboard Strange Cargo (Jane Clark/Gene Owen) to clinch the round win.

 
The soft-spoken 22-year-old, known for his bashful smile, had the crowd cheering inside of the home of the very first PBR World Finals in 1994, as he recorded an impressive 89.25-point ride score.

Starting his weekend in Nevada at No. 42 in the world, he moved up to No. 32 after collecting 28 world points.

In a surprising turn of events, world leader Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil) was unable to record a qualified ride on night one of the two-day event, leaving world No.2 and reigning PBR World Champion Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) a mere one point behind him in the world title race.

Leme created the razor-thin margin after rounding out the Top 5 in the round. The Brazilian phenom bested Cha Ching (Viducic Bucking Bulls) for a satisfying 86.5-point score. His Top 5 finish earned him 15 world points.

Pacheco was bested by Tarabull (Paradigm Bull Co/ Rockin T Ranch) in a mere 3.15 seconds.

The tug of war between the fellow countryman continues to play out as the season continues.

2021 PBR Rookie of the Year Contender Austin Richardson (Stephenville, Texas) captured second place in the round. Paired with Zorro (Jane Clark/Gene Owen), Richardson was in full control, and his 88.75-point score earned him 18 world points, moving him into the No. 28 spot in the world standings from No. 30. He shares the No. 28 spot in a tie with fellow Texan Mason Taylor (Maypearl, Texas) and is currently No. 6 in the Rookie of the Year race.

 
Chase Dougherty (Stephenville, Texas) delivered an exhilarating 87-point ride aboard Hell On The Red (Jane Clark/ Gene Owen) to take third place in the round and earn 17 world points. The young cowboy, 23, in his first PBR season, arrived in Las Vegas at No. 16 in the world standings and held strong to that position.

The young gun sits in the No. 2 spot in the 2021 PBR Rookie of the Year race, trailing leader Colten Fritzlan (Rifle, Colorado) by 95 points. With Fritzlan out of competition for the weekend with a left shoulder dislocation, Dougherty is poised to gain ground and close the gap in the standings.

Veteran Brazilian rider Marco Eguchi (Poa, Brazil) began the weekend in the No. 6 spot in the world standings and held tightly to it courtesy of his 86.75-point ride aboard Twisted X (Hawkins Bucking Bulls/ Arthur Saabye/ B Bar) and fourth-place finish in the round. The ride earned the 2018 World Finals event winner 16 world points.

The PBR Unleash The Beast -Las Vegas Invitational will continue with Round 2 and the championship round on Saturday, June 11 at 5:45 p.m. PST.

On Sunday, the historic Western sports weekend continues with the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo’s “Showdown in Vegas: Challenge of the Champions,” the first event of the 2021 season for the nation’s leading all-Black touring rodeo.

Fans can relive all the PBR action from Round 1 in Nevada starting on Saturday, June 11 at 8 a.m. EST on RidePass.com or via the RidePass mobile app.

PBR Unleash The Beast – Las Vegas Invitational
MGM Grand Garden Arena -Las Vegas, Nevada
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)

1. Cody Jesus, 89.25-0-0-89.25-28 Points.
2. Austin Richardson, 88.75-0-0-88.75-18 Points.
3. Chase Dougherty, 87-0-0-87.00-17 Points.
4. Marco Eguchi, 86.75-0-0-86.75-16 Points.
5. Jose Vitor Leme, 86.5-0-0-86.50-15 Points.
6. Matt Triplett, 86.25-0-0-86.25-14 Points.
7. Marcus Mast, 85.75-0-0-85.75-13 Points.
8. Rafael Henrique dos Santos, 85.5-0-0-85.50-11.5 Points.
(tie). Luciano De Castro, 85.5-0-0-85.50-11.5 Points.
10. Conner Halverson, 84.75-0-0-84.75-10 Points.
11. Dener Barbosa, 84-0-0-84.00-9 Points.
12. Cody Nance, 82.75-0-0-82.75-8 Points.
(tie). J.T. Moore, 82.75-0-0-82.75-8 Points.
14. Manoelito de Souza Junior, 82-0-0-82.00-8 Points.
Kaique Pacheco, 0-0-0-0.00
Cooper Davis, 0-0-0-0.00
João Ricardo Vieira, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody Teel, 0-0-0-0.00
Silvano Alves, 0-0-0-0.00
Junior Patrik Souza, 0-0-0-0.00
Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 0-0-0-0.00
Keyshawn Whitehorse, 0-0-0-0.00
Boudreaux Campbell, 0-0-0-0.00
João Henrique Lucas, 0-0-0-0.00
Taylor Toves, 0-0-0-0.00
Jesse Petri, 0-0-0-0.00
Marcelo Procopio Pereira, 0-0-0-0.00
Ezekiel Mitchell, 0-0-0-0.00
Caic Cassio Carvalho, 0-0-0-0.00
Mason Taylor, 0-0-0-0.00
Eli Vastbinder, 0-0-0-0.00
Claudio Montanha Jr., 0-0-0-0.00
Michael Lane, 0-0-0-0.00
Dakota Louis, 0-0-0-0.00
Brennon Eldred, 0-0-0-0.00
Andrew Alvidrez, 0-0-0-0.00
Hunter Ball, 0-0-0-0.00
Rodrigo Melgar, 0-0-0-0.00
Lucas Fideles Souza, 0-0-0-0.00
Daylon Swearingen, 0-0-0-0.00

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