What to Watch For: Barbosa Ready to Return 6 Months After Breaking his Back at 2022 PBR World Finals

By: Justin Felisko

PUEBLO, Colo. – The moment is still one of the best and worst of Dener Barbosa’s career.

The 2016 PBR Brazil Champion had just ridden Flapjack for a career-high 92 points at the 2022 PBR World Finals this past May before his get-off went horribly wrong. Barbosa twisted off the side of Flapjack close to the bucking chutes inside Dickies Arena before Flapjack’s hind legs stepped on Barbosa’s lower back.

Barbosa was assisted out of the arena by the PBR Sports Medicine staff and transported to a local hospital, where he was diagnosed with a T12 lower back fracture.

The 28-year-old eventually underwent surgery, and his immediate bull-riding future was in doubt as he struggled to take slow steps forward using a walker. Barbosa, though, remained committed to the rehab process and hoped he would one day return to professional bull riding even as serious doubts admittedly crossed his mind.

Fast forward 203 days later, and Barbosa is ready to make his presence known in the PBR once again. He has been cleared by doctors and will make his 2023 season debut Friday night during Round 1 of the PBR Minneapolis Invitational (8:45 p.m. ET, RidePass on Pluto TV).

Barbosa is slated to take on Two Socks (13-4, UTB).

The six-time PBR World Finals qualifier has been getting on practice bulls since October as he slowly tried to work his way back into prime bull riding shape.

Barbosa shared footage of his first rides back on Instagram on Oct. 28.

“These are the videos of the first bulls I rode after my back injury,” Barbosa wrote. “I never imagined suffering with so many injuries in my career, and I confess that this was one of the hardest I’ve gone through. There were moments and days of a lot of pain and doubt in my life. I came to think that I would never ride again for so much pain that and felt it. But God gave me the strength to go through all of this, the days I stood still fed my dream, and I thank God every day I wake up for letting me continue my dream.”

It will be interesting to see how Barbosa fares in his return to action. If he still has the same World Champion-caliber ability he had before his injury, that will make the 2022 PBR Team Series Champion Nashville Stampede that much stronger in 2023. The Stampede were willing to roll the dice and select Barbosa with the 15th pick in the inaugural PBR Team Series Draft, presented by ZipRecruiter, with an eye on the future, whereas other teams looked the other way.

One rider currently without a team is 2022 PBR Canada Champion Nick Tetz, who went undrafted and was never signed as a free agent during the PBR Team Series. Now, the newly minted PBR Canada champ is set to make his Unleash The Beast debut this weekend. The 22-year-old went 22-for-48 (45.83%) in Canada and could be a prime free agent for PBR Teams to watch during the 2023 Unleash The Beast as teams begin to scour the free agent market.

Tetz has drawn Next Question (4-2, all levels) for Round 1.

Meanwhile, Adriano Salgado has returned from getting married in Brazil and begins his 2023 season against Born To Sin (41-8, all levels). Last year, Salgado lasted 2.65 seconds against Born to Sin in Shipshewana, Indiana.

WHO IS IN FOR MINNEAPOLIS

Daylon Swearingen (World Champion)
Cooper Davis (World Champion)
Kaique Pacheco (World Champion)
Silvano Alves (World Champion)
Marcus Mast (Team Standings)
Luciano de Castro (Team Standings)
Derek Kolbaba (Team Standings)
Mason Taylor (Team Standings)
Eduardo Aparecido (Team Standings)
Daniel Keeping (Team Standings)
Boudreaux Campbell (Team Standings)-
Andrew Alvidrez (Team Standings)
Adriano Salgado (Team Standings)
Keyshawn Whitehorse (Challenger Series Championship Standings)
Rafael Jose de Brito (Challenger Series Championship Standings)
Sandro Batista (Challenger Series Championship Standings)
Wyatt Rogers (Challenger Series Championship Standings)
Jesse Petri (Challenger Series Championship Standings)
Mauricio Moreira (Top-2 from 2022 world standings not qualified)
Eli Vastbinder (Top-2 from 2022 world standings not qualified)
Joao Henrique Lucas (Nashville Stampede)
Braidy Randolph (Texas Rattlers)
Briggs Madsen (Oklahoma Freedom)
Colten Fritzlan (Missouri Thunder)
Koltin Hevalow (Kansas City Outlaws)
Wingson da Silva (Carolina Cowboys)
Dakota Louis (Austin Gamblers)
Bob Mitchell (Up to an additional 10 Team Standings)
Ezekiel Mitchell (Up to an additional 10 Team Standings)
Rafael Henrique dos Santos (Up to an additional 10 Team Standings)
Dener Barbosa (Injury Exemption)
Brady Oleson (Injury Exemption)
Marcelo Procopio Pereira (Injury Exemption)
Junior Patrik Souza (Injury Exemption)
Manoelito de Souza (Injury Exemption)
Casey Roberts (Alternate)
Thiago Salgado (Alternate)
Gage Gay (Alternate)
Nick Tetz (Alternate)
Matt Triplett (Alternate)

OUT BECAUSE OF INJURY/OTHER

Jose Vitor Leme
Jess Lockwood
Ednei Caminhas
Joao Ricardo Vieira
Lucas Divino
Clayton Sellars
Chase Dougherty
Cole Melancon
Cody Jesus
Kyler Oliver
Vitor Losnake
Dalton Kasel
Chase Outlaw

Injury News & Notes: 2019 PBR Rookie of the Year Dalton Kasel told PBR.com he is skipping Minneapolis to attend his wife Paydon’s graduation from college and will return for Manchester.

DAVIS TAKES A 56.5-POINT LEAD INTO MINNEAPOLIS

2016 World Champion Cooper Davis is now atop the Unleash The Beast standings and will look to extend his 56.5-point lead on No. 2 Brady Oleson when he takes on Pearl’s Ghost (11-3, all levels) in Round 1. Oleson has drawn Cold Shot (22-18 all levels).

ROUND 1 REMATCHES

Eli Vastbinder highlights the five rematches on Friday night with his matchup against Juju. Vastbinder is a perfect 2-for-2 against Juju with a 90-point ride during Round 4 of the 2021 PBR World Finals and 89.5 points in Fort Worth, Texas, at the 2021 Iron Cowboy event.

Adriano Salgado vs. Born To Sin (2.65 seconds in 2021 at Shipshewana, Indiana)
Boudreaux Campbell vs. WSM’s Time in a Bottle (7.07 seconds in the PBR Team Series Championship against Kansas City)
Eli Vastbinder vs. Juju (2-for-2; 90 points at 2021 World Finals in last meeting)
Manoelito de Souza Jr. vs. Drago (6.68 seconds at the 2022 Ty Murray Invitational)
Silvano Alves vs. Oilfield Outlaw’s Yellow Feather (85.75 points at the 2021 PBR World Finals)

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

Photo courtesy of Todd Brewer/Bull Stock Media

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