What 2 Watch 4: Barbosa Returning From Broken Jaw This Weekend at the Lazy E Arena
By: Justin Felisko
PUEBLO, Colo. – Rubens Barbosa is taking a page out of Fabiano Vieira’s playbook for this coming weekend’s PBR Cooper Tires Invitational, presented by Ariat, at the Lazy E Arena.
Barbosa is making his return to competition for the first time since undergoing surgery following a broken jaw he sustained on Feb. 29 in Kansas City, Missouri.
The 36-year-old and veteran bull rider will be arriving in Guthrie, Oklahoma, without attempting any practice bulls in preparation for the event. It is a similar decision that Vieira took during the 41-day PBR hiatus before the PBR Las Vegas Invitational, presented by Union Home Mortgage, which Vieira won two weeks ago.
“I am feeling better,” Barbosa said. “I don’t like practice. I will not practice. I will return straight to the event.”
Round 1 airs Saturday night LIVE on CBS Sports Network and RidePass beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
Barbosa was injured attempting to ride Ground Assault at the Caterpillar Classic in Kansas City, and it was the latest in a series of unfortunate injuries in 2020 for the six-time PBR World Finals qualifier.
He had surgery on his jaw about a week later and was limited to a liquid diet for two months. Barbosa lost 13 pounds during the last two months, and he just started to eat regular food last week.
“For two months I had just shakes,” Barbosa said. “I just started eating last week. I am better now. I lost a little weight, but I feel better now.”
The 2011 Rookie of the Year began 2020 with high aspirations following a career-best fourth-place finish at the 2019 PBR World Finals. It was in Las Vegas that Barbosa made a career-high 95.75-point ride on No. 1 YETI World Champion Bull contender Chiseled.
However, two weeks into this season Barbosa broke his right foot in Chicago when Catfish John ran it into the chute post during the veteran’s 72.5-point ride.
Barbosa missed three events with the injury before the injury bug hit him again eight days into his return. In his second event back, he sprained his right knee during his fifth-place finish at the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour event in Memphis, Tennessee.
Fourteen days later, Barbosa broke his jaw.
Barbosa is happy to have all of those injuries behind him now heading into his Round 1 matchup against Vanished (5-1, UTB)
Barbosa still has two guaranteed UTB exemptions following this weekend before being subject to the cutline after beginning the season a disappointing 1-for-8.
He is ranked 92nd in the world standings and trails the Top 35 by 53 points.
This weekend will once again be a closed-to-the-public event at the Lazy E Arena. The PBR will follow a series of health protocols in Guthrie to hold the bull riding. All competitors and crew will go through thorough daily medical screening in order to enter the Lazy E grounds as part of the process.
WHO IS IN / OUT FOR THIS WEEKEND
This weekend’s event at the Lazy E Arena is non-mandatory for all bull riders, and the PBR has invited 36 riders to compete. The first 30 draw spots were filled based on the 2020 world standings. Riders with World Champion exemptions, riders with guaranteed event exemptions or riders with approved injury exemptions filled remaining spots. The remaining draw spots were then filled based on the current season’s world standings.
Many of the PBR’s top international riders had returned home to Australia, Brazil and Canada once the PBR went on hiatus following the last Unleash The Beast event in Duluth, Georgia, on March 15, and are unable to make it back to compete in Oklahoma this weekend or have elected not to compete.
No. 46 Alex Cerqueira did return from Brazil on April 24 and immediately went into a self-isolation period in Texas so that he can compete this weekend as an alternate. Cerqueira went 1-for-3 in Duluth before he went back home to Brazil.
Riders inside the Top 35 that are not competing this weekend:
No. 2 Jess Lockwood (reconstructive hamstring surgery)
No. 3 Joao Ricardo Vieira (in Brazil)
No. 5 Kaique Pacheco (in Brazil)
No. 6 Dener Barbosa (in Brazil)
No. 10 Eduardo Aparecido (in Brazil)
No. 11 Ramon de Lima (in Brazil)
No. 12 Claudio Montanha Jr. (in Brazil)
No. 18 Aaron Kleier (in Australia)
No. 21 Dakota Buttar (ineligible)
No. 22 Ryan Dirteater (thoracic fractures)
No. 24 Lachlan Richardson (ineligible)
No. 30 Bruno Scaranello (in Brazil)
No. 31 Bradley Brittain (shoulder)
No. 32 Cooper Davis (neck fracture)
No. 33 Brock Radford (in Canada)
Alternates this weekend
No. 37 Stetson Lawrence
No. 38 Marcus Mast
No. 39 Jake Lockwood
No. 40 Rafael dos Santos
No. 43 Keyshawn Whitehorse
No. 44 Brady Sims
No. 46Alex Cerqueira
No. 47 Dakota Louis
No. 48 Keith Hall
No. 49 Silvano Alves
No. 52 Joseph McConnel
No. 53 Grayson Cole
No. 55 Cody Teel
No. 60 Cannon Cravens
No. 92 Rubens Barbosa
No. 169 Dalton Kasel
TEEL DOWN TO LAST EXEMPTION
According to the PBR competition department, 2012 PRCA champion Cody Teel is down to his final guaranteed Unleash The Beast event this weekend.
Teel trails Cole by only 2.75 points in the world standings for the last alternate spot, but is 31.25 points outside of the Top 35.
Teel went 0-for-2 two weeks ago in Guthrie with both of his buckoffs coming beyond six seconds in his first event in two months. Teel took time off to continue to rehab torn ligaments in his right knee that date back to the 2019 World Finals where he first sustained the injury.
The 27-year-old is 7-for-21 (33.33%) in eight events this season heading into his Round 1 matchup with Come on Over (1-1, UTB).
Cannon Cravens has two more exemptions following this weekend, and Dalton Kasel will have five.
ALVES GETS REMATCH IN RETURN; ROUND 1 REMATCHES
Three-time World Champion Silvano Alves had to withdraw from the first Guthrie event two weeks ago because of a last-minute family emergency.
Alves plans on competing this weekend and has a rematch against Red Dawn (27-6, UTB) in Round 1.
Red Dawn bucked Alves off in 1.03 seconds in Glendale, Arizona, three years ago.
Alves is trying to work his way back onto the UTB and is competing via a World Champion exemption. He is currently ranked 49th in the world standings following a 7-for-25 start to the season.
Additional Round 1 Rematches
Cole Melancon vs. Jungle Can Do (86.5 points at the 2017 Velocity Tour Finals)
Daylon Swearingen vs. Sitting Bull (3.49 seconds in Sacramento, California)
Stetson Lawrence vs. Rising Sun (86.25 points in Sacramento in 2018)
LEME TAKES 124.5 POINT LEAD INTO THE LAZY E ARENA
World leader Jose Vitor Leme will look to build on his grasp atop the world standings when he faces Perfecto (0-0, UTB) in Round 1.
Leme looked ready to go two weeks ago in his first event in two months since breaking three ribs in Kansas City, Missouri, with a 2-for-3, third-place finish.
The 2017 World Finals event winner leads injured No. 2 Jess Lockwood by 124.5 points.
No. 4 Daylon Swearingen is 245.84 points behind Leme and is the highest-ranked rider behind Leme in the standings riding in Guthrie.
AIR SUPPORT RETURNING IN YETI WORLD CHAMPION BULL RACE
No. 2 contender in the YETI World Champion Bull race Air Support is bucking in the championship round Sunday for the first time since he posted a 45.75-point score in Little Rock, Arkansas, in March.
Air Support is averaging 45.69 points this season compared to No. 1 Chiseled’s 45.75-point average.
Chiseled, 2019 World Champion and No. 3 Smooth Operator, and No. 4 Hocus Pocus are also in the championship round.
I’m Legit Too is also bucking in the championship round following his 46.25-point score two weeks ago in Guthrie. Three-time World Champion SweetPro’s Bruiser is in the short go as well.
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
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