ZipRecruiter Top Recruit: Injuries Almost Prevented Pereira From Pursuing his American Dream
By: Justin Felisko
PUEBLO, Colo. – Marcelo Procopio Pereira remembers the cold feeling of nervousness slowly trailing throughout his 12-year-old body.
Pereira was just starting to ride mini bulls at 12 years old under the watchful eye of Rinaldo da Silva. He would usually compete at various junior rodeo events in Brazil, often held in conjunction with a professional rodeo.
Silva, the 1996 Barretos bull riding champion, was from Tupa, Brazil, a Sao Paulo town about 40 minutes from Pereira’s hometown of Rinopolis.
As Pereira began to fall in love with bull riding, he idolized Silva in the arena and cherished any bit of advice he could garner from the local legend.
“He would take them mini bulls to rodeos in Brazil, and that helped me professionalize myself as a child,” Pereira said. “He helped a lot of young cowboys. He was like my coach. I was able to erase the nervous ice that comes when we first start riding in a rodeo, and I am so grateful for everyone who helped me.”
The more and more Pereira traveled, he became further in love with the sport, but with that passion came pain and frustration.
By the time Pereira turned 18, he had already undergone three different surgeries, two on his shoulders and one on his right knee.
Some started to wonder if Pereira’s goal of one day moving to the United States and riding at the PBR World Finals was nothing more than a pipedream. If he could not stay healthy in Brazil, how could the cowboy’s body withstand the brute strength of American-style bucking bulls?
“I could never have a year in a row riding bulls. I’ve always been hurt a lot,” Pereira said earlier this year with the help of Paulo Crimber translating. “Only those who have had surgeries know how difficult it is to recover. This takes a while. As a child, few people believed that one day my dream would come true.”
The teenager kept fighting forward, though, under the encouragement of people like his good friend Carlos Augusto Chavez and his uncle Ivan de Lima, who helped bring Pereira to events seeing as his parents did not have a car.
Pereira turned pro in Brazil at 18 years old, and the injuries continued. Dislocated shoulders, knee injuries and the endless bumps and bruises that accompany the toughest sport in the world began to pile up.
It seemed that the young bull rider’s body did not agree with his plans.
Every time Pereira believed he would finally make the jump and attempt to move to the United States, he would wind up getting injured in the arena and have to put his plans on ice and spend weeks or months on the sidelines recovering.
Two years ago, Pereira finally gave himself an ultimatum.
The then-24-year-old was going to apply for his visa, and if he were denied, he would most likely give up on his dream.
“If I didn’t get it, then I was going to quit riding bulls,” Pereira said. “I had so many injuries when I first started. I had so many great compliments that I was going to be a great cowboy, but I would keep getting hurt.”
Pereira was indeed approved to get his visa, and he moved to the United States last January.
However, Pereira would not compete at any PBR events as the COVID-19 pandemic began to shut down and cancel non-Unleash The Beast events all across the United States.
“I came last year, but I didn’t want to go to the PBR just yet,” Pereira said. “I went to a bunch of open events to get used to the United States and get comfortable and worked on a ranch.”
Pereira made his PBR debut at the August 31, 2019 Central Texas State Fair, going 0-for-2, before making his 2021 debut at the Jan. 1 Cowtown Classic TPD event.
All it took Pereira were two more events, and he won his second career Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour event (Greenville, South Carolina) to earn an automatic bid to the Unleash The Beast event in Okeechobee, Florida.
The 26-year-old finally had the breakthrough UTB event he has been searching for all season long last weekend in Anaheim, California. Pereira broke out of a 9-for-41 slump on the UTB to go a career-best 3-for-3 last weekend at the PBR Monster Energy Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires, in Anaheim, California.
“I am very happy with the result of this week,” Pereira said. “I managed to ride all my bulls and add good points for the world ranking. I will dedicate myself more and more each day to try to go further, and try to win the PBR Rookie of the Year and finish in the Top 10 in the world rankings.
“The last two years have been my longest pain-free. That’s what stopped me from doing a good job before because I always dedicated myself and always believed in my dreams. I’m just asking God to keep me healthy, so I can work hard riding bulls to conquer everything I still want and do what I love most in life, which is being a rodeo cowboy.”
Pereira’s third-place finish has him ranked 24th in the world standings heading into this weekend’s PBR ZipRecruiter Invitational in Newark, New Jersey. He is in good shape to potentially qualify for his first World Finals.
The first-year rider is sitting seventh in the rookie race, 185.5 points behind Rookie of the Year leader Chase Dougherty.
Pereira has drawn King Brute (1-3, UTB) for Round 1 on Saturday night (8 p.m. ET, RidePass on Pluto TV).
“It’s my first year in PBR, and I’m really happy to have been able to get out of Touring Pro, go through Velocity, and get into the best level of competition and stay on tour,” Pereira said. “It’s always been a dream for me to ride at the PBR World Finals in Las Vegas, and now it is closer than ever.”
Six regular-season Unleash The Beast events remain until the World Finals begin on Nov. 3 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
If Pereira indeed can lock up a spot for the World Finals, it will be a dream come true that almost never became a possibility.
“I only watched the World Finals in Brazil on television when I was still a child, but I always believed in my dreams and worked hard until I got here,” Pereira said. “Today, being part of the great PBR team is a big dream that came true. I am really looking forward to making my first World Finals. There are so many beautiful stories of many cowboys who made history there. I’m looking forward to getting out there and doing a good job.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
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