Relive Eight of the Top Moments from the PBR in New York City

By: Darci Miller

PUEBLO, Colo. – The Big Apple. The Capital of the World. The City So Nice They Named It Twice. The City That Never Sleeps. Gotham.

Whatever you call it, New York City is undoubtedly one of the most iconic cities in the world, and it has been hosting PBR events since 2007. In that time, Madison Square Garden has seen records get broken, title runs get kicked off, and even a bull rider from New York perform in front of a home-state crowd.

For the first time in two years, the Unleash The Beast returns to New York City for the PBR Monster Energy Buck Off at the Garden, presented by Ariat, on Jan. 7-8. Fans can watch Round 1 live on RidePass on Pluto TV (channel 720) on Jan. 7 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Take a look back at some of the best PBR moments in New York from the last decade, and tune in this weekend to see what new moments may be added to the list.

J.B. Mauney and Fabiano Vieira tie for the event win (2014)

 
In bull riding, ties don’t come around very often. In fact, it’s only happened 11 times ever on the premier series. The most recent tie was in 2014 when J.B. Mauney and Fabiano Vieira earned a matching 347.5 points in the aggregate to share the event win in New York City.

Silvano Alves notches record-breaking 24th consecutive ride (2015)

 
It may not have been his highest-scoring ride, but Silvano Alves’s 77.25-point trip on Delco in Madison Square Garden was still a part of history. The ride was Alves’s 24th in a row, setting a PBR record for the three-time World Champion.

Eduardo Aparecido wins New York’s first-ever 15/15 Bucking Battle (2015)

 
15/15 Bucking Battles had been a staple on the PBR calendar for several years before finally debuting in the World’s Most Famous Arena. Eduardo Aparecido was the first rider to take home the special-round win in New York, riding Kiss Animalize for 90 points.

Paulo Lima wins first-ever Major in Madison Square Garden (2016)

 
PBR Majors are some of the most important events on the calendar each year as they give riders the opportunity to win significantly more points than any other event. In 2016, New York City hosted its first Major, and Paulo Lima rode Cochise for 90 points to clinch the win.

Jess Lockwood wins in New York City en route to a world title – twice (2017, 2019)

 
The youngest two-time World Champion in PBR history knows how to win in New York City, and when he does, it always means good things. He won the Buck Off at the Garden in both 2017 and 2019, and in both of those years, he also went on to win the world title.

J.B. Mauney notches his 500th career ride on the Unleash The Beast (2018)

 
Few PBR bull riders have had careers as successful as J.B. Mauney, and the dragon slayer hit a huge milestone in New York City in 2018. He rode All the Way Up for 87.25 points to become just the third rider in history to reach 500 career rides on the premier series, joining 2004 World Champion Mike Lee and 2008 World Champion Guilherme Marchi in the prestigious club.

Joao Ricardo Vieira clinches his PBR-best fifth Major win (2020)

 
In 2020, Joao Ricardo Vieira returned to the top of the world standings for the first time in more than four years when he won the season-opening event in New York City with an 87.25-point ride on Bezerk. It also happened to be his PBR-best fifth Major victory.

Daylon Swearingen becomes the first New York native ever to ride inside Madison Square Garden (2020)

 
Bull riders from New York don’t come around very often, but Daylon Swearingen of Piffard, New York, is putting the Empire State on the bull riding map. In 2020, he became the first New Yorker to ride in his home-state event when he covered High Hopes for 82.5 points.

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media

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