The PBR returned to Pittsburgh, PA, for the second straight year in what turned out to be one of the most competitive weekends on tour this year. The rankings were shaken up as four unlikely riders finished a perfect 3-for-3 on bulls in the Steel City. Cassio Dias took home the title, but we’ll start with that Top 4 in reverse order.

Kase Hitt finished fourth and made his very first Short Round on the PBR’s top tour, where he delivered a career-best 88.4 on Eyes On Me. Hitt was perfect, notching his career second, third, and fourth qualified rides in UTB competition. Obviously, this also marked the first time he had ridden multiple bulls in a single UTB weekend.

Luciano De Castro finished third overall and earned his first Short Round bid this season. De Castro has struggled to match his production from last season, where he finished 10th in the world with 10 Top 10 finishes. However, his 90.95 on Nobody in Saturday’s Short Round was his best ride in top tour competition since Round 2 of the 2022 PBR World Finals, where he scored 91.25.

Leandro Zampollo finished in second place and re-entered the Top 10 after taking a week off to rest. Zampollo showed excellent focus and control, finding the center on all three bulls, including an 88.45 on Rockville Friday night, his best score of the event. He scored 88.4 on UTZ BesTex Smokestack in his fourth Short Round of the season and has now made the whistle in three of his four Short Rounds on the year. Zampollo sits in ninth place in the world standings.

The aforementioned Cassio Dias championed the weekend, going perfect for the first time this season after battling through some serious struggles. He won both rounds on Saturday, beginning with an 89.4 on Magic Touch to win Round 2. Dias followed that with an event-best 91.7 on Freedom Fighter in the Short Round to secure the victory and jump to seventh place in the world rankings. Dias scored 270.3 Aggregate Points and earned 154 Event Points, both of which are the most in a three-round UTB event this season. It marked his first win of the season and the eighth of his career.

Team Challenge

Friday’s Team Challenge began with the Florida Freedom (1-1) earning their first win of the season against the Nashville Stampede (1-1). Freedom rider Alex Cerqueira was the only one to record a qualified ride, scoring 86.65 points aboard Back in Black. The Stampede failed to answer.

Next, the 3-0 Austin Gamblers defeated the 0-2-1 Arizona Ridge Riders to solidify their hold atop the Team Challenge standings. Sage Kimzey and Kaique Pacheco both delivered for the Gamblers, combing for 70.45 points. Luciano De Castro was the only Ridge Rider to score, putting up an 86.4 aboard Night Agent in a re-ride opportunity that ultimately came too late. The Gamblers have converted a tour-best one-third of their rides and have accumulated a total of 691.75 points, which is more than double the next closest team.

Top 5 Lull

The Top 5 riders on tour combined for only two qualified rides this past weekend, both coming from Sage Kimzey. Kimzey now sits fourth in the world standings with 362 points. Only 52 points separate 10th from sixth place, while 124 points separate sixth place from World No. 1 John Crimber, who has 444 points.

On A Slide

Marco Rizzo has struggled recently, and those struggles continued in Pittsburgh. Rizzo has now bucked off his last five bulls. His career worst stretch came when he missed six consecutive bulls from late 2024 into early 2025.

He is currently one for his last seven bulls and five for his last 17 attempts. Rizzo sits in 10th place in the world standings and is only 15.5 points ahead of 11th place.

Kaiden Loud also struggled, bucking off both of his attempts. He is now one for his last seven bulls and four for his last 13. Loud fell out of the Top 10 and now sits in 12th place.

Jose Vitor Leme returned to competition after missing Salt Lake City due to rest and recovery. He was 88.65 on Constant Payne in Round 1 and said he was feeling good afterward. Unfortunately, Leme re-aggravated his groin injury and elected to sit out the remainder of the weekend to recover safely. He still finished 10th overall in the event.

All Star Bulls

Pittsburgh featured a potent roster of bulls throughout the weekend. Round 1 included 18 bulls that had appeared in at least one Short Round this season, with seven of them being successfully ridden.

There were five 90-point rides during the event, the second most this season behind New York’s six. Cort McFadden won Round 1 with a 90.6 in a re-ride opportunity aboard The Player. The remaining 90-point rides all came during the Short Round.

Saturday’s Short Round featured an All-Star pen, including the Top 3 bulls in the world: Man Hater, Eyes On Me, and Fire Zone. Man Hater showed exactly why he is ranked No. 1, delivering a 46.05 bull score, the highest marked out of the season.