Kolbaba and Sellars Split Round 1 Win at PBR Monster Energy Invitational in Anaheim

By: Mandi McCary

ANAHEIM, Calif. – As an energetic Southern California crowd welcomed PBR (Professional Bull Riders) back to the Honda Center in Anaheim, Derek Kolbaba (Walla Walla, Washington) and Clayton Sellars (Fruitland Park, Florida) split the Round 1 win of the PBR Monster Energy Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires with matching 88-point ride scores.

Kolbaba, who began the night paired with Deep Water (Hawkins/B Bar) but was given a re-ride by judges, stood confidently on the back of the chutes before his matchup with Big Mac (Shuler Bucking Bulls) as Friday night rolled to a close.

Firing out of the chutes aboard the athletic bovine, Kolbaba remained in control to make the 8 and collect 23 world points. Marking his fourth round win of the season, the night helped the Washington cowboy move up one spot in the world standings, from No. 11 to No. 10.

 
The crowd was at full volume as 23-year-old Sellars conquered Fred (Evan Matthews) to collect the first Unleash The Beast (UTB) round win of his career. The young Floridian now sits in the No. 82 spot in the world standings with the 23 world points he earned.

In an impressive show of talent, young gun Cody Jesus (Window Rock, Arizona) shared third place in the round with reigning PBR World Champion Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil).

The typically shy and reserved Jesus had a smile ear-to-ear as he happily strode across the dirt after riding Twisted X (Hawkins/Saabye/B Bar) for 87.75 points earlier in the night. Starting the weekend in the No. 24 spot in the world standings, the 16.5 world points he collected on Friday night moved him up one position to No. 23.

As the last rider of the night, Leme was matched with Gangster of Love (Julio Moreno/Schott).

As judges deemed a technical error as the bull left the chutes, the Brazilian phenom was in obvious pain as he was offered a re-ride. Displaying the world-class talent that he has become known for, Leme climbed back onto the chutes to ride again.

Paired with BB King (Shuler Bucking Bulls), he made the 8 in an electric Honda Center and matched Jesus’ 87.75-point score.

Leme holds tight to the No. 1 spot in the world standings, leading No. 2 Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil) by 603 world points.

 
Brazilian Mauricio Gulla Moreira (Gaviao Peixoto, Brazil) rounded out the Top 5 in the round after besting Skirt Chaser (Shuler Bucking Bulls) for a satisfying 87.25-point score. His Top-5 finish brought the 22-year-old rider 15 world points to climb from No. 10 in the world standings to No. 8.

The PBR Monster Energy Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires, will continue with Round 2, followed by the championship round, on Saturday, Sept. 11 at 6:45 p.m. PST.

PBR RidePass on PlutoTV will offer re-airs and on-demand replays of every PBR Unleash The Beast event. PBR RidePass is available on desktops, laptops and mobile devices via www.pluto.tv. Tune to channel 720 for the latest programming schedule.

PBR Unleash The Beast – Monster Energy Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires
Honda Center -Anaheim, California
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)

1. Derek Kolbaba, 88-0-0-88.00-23 Points.
(tie). Clayton Sellars, 88-0-0-88.00-23 Points.
3. Jose Vitor Leme, 87.75-0-0-87.75-16.5 Points.
(tie). Cody Jesus, 87.75-0-0-87.75-16.5 Points.
5. Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 87.25-0-0-87.25-15 Points.
6. Marcelo Procopio Pereira, 86.75-0-0-86.75-14 Points.
7. João Ricardo Vieira, 86.5-0-0-86.50-12.5 Points.
(tie). Eduardo Aparecido, 86.5-0-0-86.50-12.5 Points.
9. Jesse Petri, 86.25-0-0-86.25-10.5 Points.
(tie). Andrew Alvidrez, 86.25-0-0-86.25-10.5 Points.
11. Manoelito de Souza Junior, 85.75-0-0-85.75-9 Points.
12. Marco Eguchi, 85-0-0-85.00-8 Points.
13. Paulo Ferreira Lima, 84.75-0-0-84.75-8 Points.
14. Boudreaux Campbell, 83.75-0-0-83.75-8 Points.
15. Fernando Henrique Novais, 81.25-0-0-81.25-8 Points.
Kaique Pacheco, 0-0-0-0.00
Cooper Davis, 0-0-0-0.00
Dener Barbosa, 0-0-0-0.00
Chase Dougherty, 0-0-0-0.00
Keyshawn Whitehorse, 0-0-0-0.00
Junior Patrik Souza, 0-0-0-0.00
Dalton Kasel, 0-0-0-0.00
Silvano Alves, 0-0-0-0.00
Eli Vastbinder, 0-0-0-0.00
João Henrique Lucas, 0-0-0-0.00
Cole Melancon, 0-0-0-0.00
Austin Richardson, 0-0-0-0.00
Mason Taylor, 0-0-0-0.00
Claudio Montanha Jr., 0-0-0-0.00
Ezekiel Mitchell, 0-0-0-0.00
Taylor Toves, 0-0-0-0.00
Thiago Salgado, 0-0-0-0.00
Conner Halverson, 0-0-0-0.00
Lucas Divino, 0-0-0-0.00
Dakota Louis, 0-0-0-0.00
Leonardo Lima, 0-0-0-0.00
Ramon de Lima, 0-0-0-0.00
Cole Skender, 0-0-0-0.00

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