PBR World Champion Cooper Davis Remains Red Hot in Tulsa Splitting Round 1 Unleash The Beast Victory with Young Gun Ezekiel Mitchell

PBR World Champion Cooper Davis Remains Red Hot in Tulsa Splitting Round 1 Unleash The Beast Victory with Young Gun Ezekiel Mitchell Photo courtesy Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
October 11, 2020

Seeking his second world title on Nov. 12-15 at the 2020 PBR World Finals at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Davis hones in on No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme who failed to reach the 8 in Round 1

Eager to make up for lost time, after a broken neck sustained in January sidelined him for nearly the entire first half of the 2020 PBR (Professional Bull Rider) Unleash The Beast season, 2016 PBR World Champion Cooper Davis (Jasper, Texas) remained red hot in Tulsa, Oklahoma, tying for the Round 1 victory of the PBR Express Ranches Classic, presented by Bass Pro Shops, with young gun Ezekiel Mitchell (Rockdale, Texas) Saturday evening inside the BOK Center.

Ezekiel Mitchell

 

Davis, who won the most recent premier series stop last weekend in Lincoln, Nebraska, logged his fourth consecutive qualified ride when he topped the field with a head-turning, 89-point score aboard Blessed (Nothin’ But Try Ranch/’Diggers Bucking Bulls).
Mitchell recorded a matching score when he fought hard to go the distance aboard a furiously bucking Crossover (Hodges/Shuler), for his third round victory of the season.
Twenty-six-year-old Davis has now won six rounds thus far in 2020, the third most of any rider, behind Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) with 15, and two-time PBR World Champion Jess Lockwood (Volborg, Montana) with nine.
“I’m feeling really good right now,” Davis said. “I knew I had a good bull tonight – so keep the ball rolling.”
With both riders earning $2,662.20, along with 15 world points, Davis continues to gain ground on world No. 1 Leme, as he seeks his second PBR World Championship on Nov. 12-15 when the PBR World Finals debut in Arlington, Texas at AT&T Stadium.
Despite remaining No. 8 in the world, Davis closed within 881.5 points of No. 1 Leme who bucked off in Round 1, bested by Dodge 6117 (Halpain Bucking Bulls) in a swift, yet uncharacteristic, 2.16 seconds.
Historically, seven of the past 11 PBR World Champions have won the Tulsa event en route to capturing the season’s coveted gold buckle, including Davis who accomplished the feat in 2016. Similar to his 2016 season, Davis also won Round 1 of that year’s Tulsa event courtesy of his 87.5-point ride aboard Glory Days (Plummer/Hart Cattle Co.).
Davis will look to join an elite contingent of riders to have won the Tulsa elite tour event in multiple seasons in Round 2 when he attempts Mr. Majestic (Cord McCoy/Bruce Wold/HR Bulls).
Those riders who have experienced victory during multiple seasons inside the BOK Center are: Lockwood (2019 and 2017), two-time PBR World Champion J.B. Mauney (2015 and 2013; Statesville, North Carolina) and 2009 PBR World Champion Kody Lostroh (2012 and 2009; Longmont, Colorado).
Mitchell’s top marks allowed him to inch within a mere two points of the world’s Top 10, rising from No. 13 to No. 11. On the hunt for his career-first Unleash The Beast victory, Mitchell will attempt Frog Lips (M Rafter E Bucking Bulls) in Round 2 Sunday afternoon.
“I haven’t been riding like I’m supposed to lately,” Mitchell said. “I’m just trying to get the job done from now on out. This means a bunch as far as getting the train back on the tracks.”
Third was Derek Kolbaba (Walla Wall, Washington), collecting $1,698.37 and nine world points to rise one position in the world standings from No. 11 to No. 10. He now trails No. 1 Leme by 1,023 points. 
The Washingtonian’s qualified ride was logged aboard Vegas (Stoltzfus Cattle Co.) for 87.75 points as the raucous, socially-distanced crowed inside the Sooner State venue exploded in applause for the gritty 8-second effort.
Kolbaba, who is attempting to qualify for his sixth consecutive PBR World Finals when the event debuts inside the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys in mid-November, will face off against Secret Sauce (Martinez Bucking Bulls) in Round 2 of the PBR Express Ranches Classic, presented by Bass Pro Shops.
Compliments of an 86-point score aboard Constant Sorrow (Blake Sharp/Buckwild Bucking Stock/Frantz Cattle Co.), 2018 PBR World Champion Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil) was fourth.
The score earned the poised Brazilian $1,019.25 and 8 world points, allowing him to surpass Daylon Swearingen (Piffard, New York) for the world No. 3 rank. Pacheco now trails countryman and world No. 1 Leme by 731.5 points and will look to record his second qualified ride inside the BOK Center in Round 2 aboard 90 Proof (Paradigm Bull Company).
Swearingen failed to reach the whistle in Round 1, dispatched by Lockdown (Cleve Garey/Leap of Faith/DD Bucking Bulls) in 1.24 seconds. Hot Spots (Shuler Bucking Bulls) awaits the New York cowboy in Round 2 of the 16th consecutive Unleash The Beast event held in Tulsa. 
Rounding out the Top 5 in fifth was three-time PBR World Champion Silvano Alves (Pilar do Sul, Brazil) who entered the event in desperate need of world points, then ranked No. 39 and outside of the threshold to qualify for the 2020 PBR World Finals.
Riding Cosmic Crazy (Richard & Teri Braun/Jenkins Cattle) for 85.25 points, the stoic Brazilian earned $746.95 and seven world points, propelling him to No. 34 in the world.
Eager to cement a qualification to his 11th-consecutive PBR World Finals, Alves, who will face Harold’s Genuine Risk (M Rafter E Bucking Bulls) in Round 2, is now a razor-thin 0.34 points ahead of No. 36 Amadeu Campos Silva (Atair, Brazil).
Mauney took one step forward to qualifying for the 2020 PBR World Finals and making further league history courtesy of his 83-point ride atop Firin’ (Bob & Jeri Adams/BS Cattle Co.) in Round 1, positioning himself on championship Sunday to potentially take sole ownership of the all-time record for career wins on the PBR’s premier series.
After riding to the event victory at the 2019 elite tour stop in North Little Rock, Arkansas, the now Texas resident tied with fellow two-time PBR World Champion Justin McBride (Elk City, Oklahoma) for the accolade, with 32 wins on the elite Unleash The Beast.
Mauney, who earned $416.02 and five world points for the score, climbing from No. 38 to No. 37 in the world, will next face Godzilla (Blake Sharp/Henry Wilson/High Voltage Cattle) in Round 2.
The Tulsa event also featured the return of Ryan Dirteater (Hulbert, Oklahoma) who had been sidelined the past 57 days due to a broken right collarbone. The famed Oklahoman, who plans to retire at the conclusion of 2020, however, failed to convert in the opening round, bested by Little Hott (TM Cattle Co./BS Cattel Co.) in 3.07 seconds. 
Saturday night’s competition also included an American Bucking Bull Inc. (ABBI) Classic event in conjunction with Round 1.
An ABBI Classic competition is the next step in a young bovine’s competitive career with 3- and 4-year-old bulls going up against the top bull riders in the PBR. These young bulls were rank in Round 1, allowing only seven qualified rides on the night.
 
Dodge 6117 of Halpain Bucking Bulls came in clutch as the last bull out of the night with a 91.2-point performance while dispatching world No. 1 Leme to earn approximately $9,000.
Stone Sober (D&H Cattle/Buck Cattle/Tommy Julian) son Midnight Rock (Cord McCoy/Pioneer Bulls) placed second with 90.4 points to earn a $5,865 check, while Smooth Over (Hart Cattle/GT Bucking Bulls) son Crossover landed a third-place finish posting 90.2 points for more than $4,000.
2018 ABBI Futurity World Champion Ridin Solo (Cord McCoy/Steve Best) had 89.8 points for fourth place and $3,450, while two-time PBR World Champion Lockwood and Red Dirt music artist Park McCollum’s bull Young Man’s Blues (Paradigm/Lockwood/Parker McCollum) rounded out the Top 5 with 89.5 points and just under $3,000 payout.
Fans can relive Round 1 from PBR Unleash The Beast’s Express Ranches Classic, presented by Bass Pro Shops, on demand on RidePass at 8:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, October 11. RidePass is available at RidePass.com or via the RidePass app available on iOS, Android and Roku.
The PBR premier series event in Tulsa will conclude with Round 2 and the championship round on Sunday, October 11. RidePass’ LIVE coverage of Round 2 will begin at 2:45 p.m. ET, while CBS Sports Networks’ coverage will be broadcast LIVE at 3:00 p.m. ET.


PBR Unleash The Beast


PBR Express Ranches Classic, presented by Bass Pro Shops
BOK Center – Tulsa, Oklahoma
1. Cooper Davis, 89-0-0-89.00-15 Points.
(tie). Ezekiel Mitchell, 89-0-0-89.00-15 Points.
3. Derek Kolbaba, 87.75-0-0-87.75-9 Points.
4. Kaique Pacheco, 86.5-0-0-86.50-8 Points.
5. Silvano Alves, 85.25-0-0-85.25-7 Points.
6. Cody Nance, 85-0-0-85.00-6 Points.
7. J.B. Mauney, 83-0-0-83.00-5 Points.
Jose Vitor Leme, 0-0-0-0.00
João Ricardo Vieira, 0-0-0-0.00
Daylon Swearingen, 0-0-0-0.00
Lucas Divino, 0-0-0-0.00
Colten Jesse, 0-0-0-0.00
Eduardo Aparecido, 0-0-0-0.00
Cole Melancon, 0-0-0-0.00
Mason Taylor, 0-0-0-0.00
Brennon Eldred, 0-0-0-0.00
Alex Cerqueira, 0-0-0-0.00
Ramon de Lima, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody Teel, 0-0-0-0.00
Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 0-0-0-0.00
Andrew Alvidrez, 0-0-0-0.00
Marco Eguchi, 0-0-0-0.00
Claudio Montanha Jr., 0-0-0-0.00
Stetson Lawrence, 0-0-0-0.00
Keyshawn Whitehorse, 0-0-0-0.00
Joao Henrique Lucas, 0-0-0-0.00
Boudreaux Campbell, 0-0-0-0.00
Ryan Dirteater, 0-0-0-0.00
Taylor Toves, 0-0-0-0.00
Amadeu Campos Silva, 0-0-0-0.00
Marcus Mast, 0-0-0-0.00
Junior Patrik Souza, 0-0-0-0.00
Paulo Ferreira Lima, 0-0-0-0.00
Rafael Henrique dos Santos, 0-0-0-0.00
Wallace Vieira de Oliveira, 0-0-0-0.00
Kyler Oliver, 0-0-0-0.00

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