JOHN CRIMBER SWEEPS CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY WITH A PAIR OF 90’S, TWO ROUND WINS TO BE CROWNED 2026 PBR WORLD CHAMPION

FORT WORTH, Texas – After being shut out last weekend at Cowtown Coliseum, John Crimber (Decatur, Texas) roared back to sweep Championship Sunday competition, put the finishing touches on his standout 2026 Unleash The Beast (UTB) season, and be crowned the 2026 PBR World Champion at the 2026 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast on Sunday afternoon in Fort Worth, Texas. In a must-ride position to make the Championship round, the 20-year-old defended his tour-pacing position in Round 8 by recording a rank, round-winning 91.35-point conversion aboard What’s Poppin to clinch a spot in Sunday’s short round before a sold-out Dickies Arena crowd.

Paired with Tigger in Round 9, Crimber sealed the deal with another session-topping, 92.90-point masterpiece, earning his first PBR World Championship.

“This is what I’ve dreamed of since I was a little kid playing in the living room pretending I was a bull rider. This is what we live for – to become a World Champion and the best bull rider in the world – and I couldn’t do it without my Lord and savior, Jesus Christ,”

– JOHN CRIMBER

“This world title, it’s not just for myself. This is for my dad, too. He’s the one who brought me here and made me who I am. His career was cut short, so this one’s for him, not me.”

Crimber edged out No. 2 Brady Fielder (Clermont, Australia) by a mere 187.83 points in the UTB standings as one of the sport’s most dramatic world title races brought the best out of the Australian just the same, who finished in fourth place on the World Finals event leaderboard.

Just three weeks ago, when the elite Unleash The Beast (UTB) tour exited Tacoma, Washington, following the premier series’ regular season finale, Crimber sat 169.5 UTB points ahead of No. 2 Fielder in the world title race.

Despite bringing a fiery, competitive effort to Cowtown Coliseum when the opening weekend of World Finals stormed into the Fort Worth Stockyards, Crimber went 0-for-4 inside the historic venue while seeing his lead reduced to just 135.5 points.

However, Crimber’s journey to the World Championship began heating up once the pack shifted gears to Dickies Arena. Leaving his 0-for-5 start in the dust, which included a Round 5 buckoff during the opening night inside the new venue, Crimber got to work during the event’s sixth session on Friday night.

Going the distance aboard July while removing the metaphorical monkey from his back, Crimber earned 89.40 points and began to build some momentum.

In Round 7 he matched Icky Thump’s every move, marked 84.95 points, and declined a re-ride opportunity to ensure his second ride score remained on the board.

Starting Championship Sunday No. 28 on the leader board, Crimber’s round-winning conversion on What’s Poppin – his third bull in a row – punched his ticket to the final Championship Round of the 2026 campaign.

The world title race then came down to the final round. Crimber was paired against Tigger while Fielder, the lone man left with a path of dethroning Crimber, was tasked with world title-contender Ransom.

Fielder ended up drawing a re-ride aboard Ransom and was only able to produce an 88.60-point score aboard Doze You Down, thus granting Crimber his first World Championship, as Fielder’s fourth-place effort wasn’t enough to catch up to Crimber, who finished sixth in the event aggregate.

“It was a rough start. I didn’t ride the bulls I was supposed to ride, and it was rough. I had a lot of critics, lot of people saying stuff I’m not, but I just stayed true to myself and kept trusting God’s plans, because His plans are perfect,” Crimber added.

“This season was a long one for me, but I had a lot of fun riding bulls with my Cow Bros, too: Marco Rizzo, Clay Guiton, Kaiden Loud, Hudson Bolton and all of those guys. Them being back there supporting me, I’m very thankful to have them in my corner and being with me through all of it.”

Crimber concluded the season with a 55.17 % ride percentage, going 32-for-58 on the season while ending his career-best campaign with $1,377,907 in winnings, which includes his $1 million bonus for being crowned World Champion.

The standout cowboy paced the pack with a tour-high eight round wins in 2026 and recorded two event wins during his dominant campaign. Once Crimber re-established himself as the world’s top-ranked rider following the tour’s stop in Tallahassee, Florida, back in March, he refused to relinquish the lead, eventually capturing his first World Championship in his home state of Texas.

Throughout PBR’s 33-year history, Crimber is one of 23 different riders and now the 13th American cowboy to be crowned a PBR World Champion.

No. 3 Hudson Bolton (Milan, Tennessee) recorded an electric 7-for-9 slate across the nine-round showcase to be crowned the 2026 World Finals Event Champion and claim the accompanying $500,000 bonus. Bolton ended the season with $623,493 in prize earnings.

Bolton inserted himself into the late-season gold buckle hunt courtesy of his impressive 7-for-7 start at World Finals but was unable to close the door following his 0-for-2 stretch on Championship Sunday.

In the bull pen, the YETI World Championship Bull race came down to the final short round of the season, with Pegasus holding a .05-point lead over Ransomin the average bull score standings ahead of Round 9.

When the dust settled, Ransomwas crowned both the 2026 YETI PBR World Champion Bull and YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Finals, earning the accompanying $100,000 and $25,000 bonuses.

The title of 2026 YETI World Champion Bull goes to the animal athlete with the highest average bull score from their eight highest-scored outs logged during the 2025 PBR Teams and 2026 Unleash The Beast regular season, alongside two outs at the 2026 PBR World Finals.

The YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Finals title is awarded to the bovine who posted the top combined score across his three outs logged during the 2026 PBR World Finals.

Ransom earned the pair of titles by posting a 47.15-point bull score in Round 2, dispatching Cassio Dias (São F. de Sales, Brazil) in 6.70 seconds, and later teaming up with Eduardo Aparecido (Gouvelandia, Brazil) for a 46.75-point bull score in Round 5.

Despite Brady Fielder earning a re-ride opportunity for a chute foul called on Ransom during Sunday’s Championship Round, the bovine athlete kept his 47.35-point bull score, thus powering him past Pegasus in the average and clinching the animal athlete his first world title honors.

Ransom ended the season with a 45.96-point average score, edging out Pegasus (45.95 points) by .01 point in the YETI World Champion Bull race.

No. 16 Marco Rizzo (Quitman, Georgia) was crowned the 2026 PBR Rookie of the Year following a dramatic sprint to the finish line. Rizzo outlasted No. 17 Maverick Smith (Cabool, Missouri) for the first-year honors by a mere 30 UTB points.

Rizzo recorded a 21-for-57 slate during his first season as a regular on the premier series.

“It’s a relief. Shout out to Maverick. He pushed me to be my absolute best this season,” Rizzo said on the Paramount+ telecast.

“Not the Finals I wanted, clearly, but it’s just a great feeling. It’s a goal I’ve always wanted to achieve. You only get one shot at it, and I’m just super blessed, thank the Lord. Leave it all in God’s hands and it’ll work out.”

No. 26Eduardo Aparecido earned the prestigious Lane Frost/Brent Thurman Award, presented to the rider who logged the high-marked ride of the 2026 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast.

The veteran stole the show in Round 5 by besting Ransom for a career-high 96.10 points during his 15th career World Finals appearance, which represents the third-highest score recorded at a World Finals event and the eighth-highest score in PBR history.

Blake Sharp was named the 2026 PBR Stock Contractor of the Year for the fourth-straight season. He first earned the honor in 2023, dethroning longtime winner Chad Berger, who had won the award the previous nine-consecutive years.

Daylon Swearingen (Piffard, New York) won the Mason Lowe Award, presented annually to the bull rider who records the highest-scored ride during the PBR Unleash The Beast regular season. The 2022 PBR World Champion earned the honor for his 94.90-point ride aboard Pegasus during the tour’s regular season finale in Tacoma, Washington, last month.

All eight days of World Finals competition were available via Paramount+.

Stay tuned to PBR.com for the latest news and results and be sure to follow the organization on all social media platforms at @PBR.

Unleash The Beast – 2026 PBR World Finals  
Dickies Arena – Fort Worth, Texas   
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Round 4-Round 5-Round 6-Round 7-Round 8-Round 9-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Hudson Bolton, 89.65-86.4-89.35-88.25-91.3-87.25-86.65-0-0-618.85-653.5 Points.

2. Luciano De Castro, 88.45-89.25-87.55-90.15-0-0-87.4-89.05-0-531.85-470 Points.

3. Paulo Eduardo Rossetto, 84.55-0-89.2-88.35-0-85.8-0-0-91.5-439.40-322 Points.

4. Brady Fielder, 0-0-89.55-0-86.65-86.6-86.6-0-88.6-438.00-248.6666 Points.

5. Claudio Montanha Jr., 0-90.9-89.3-88.7-0-0-0-90.05-0-358.95-226.5 Points.

6. John Crimber, 0-0-0-0-0-89.4-84.95-91.35-92.9-358.60-258 Points.

7. Manoelito de Souza Junior, 0-0-89.3-0-89-0-88.6-89-0-355.90-191.5 Points.

8. Daylon Swearingen, 89.85-0-0-90.8-0-88.2-86.6-0-0-355.45-161.6666 Points.

9. Dener Barbosa, 87.7-87.7-0-85.9-0-0-0-0-89.85-351.15-106 Points.

10. Lucas Divino, 0-89.9-87.15-89-0-84.35-0-0-0-350.40-76 Points.

11. Macaulie Leather, 0-0-0-87.4-0-88.55-0-88.6-0-264.55-60 Points.

12. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 86.95-90.2-0-0-0-0-86.3-0-0-263.45-69 Points.

13. Callum Miller, 90.25-0-83.9-88.3-0-0-0-0-0-262.45-62 Points.

14. Bob Mitchell, 0-0-0-0-85.65-87.75-86.6-0-0-260.00-50.6666 Points.

15. Alex Cerqueira, 0-0-0-0-94.35-89.05-75.65-0-0-259.05-62 Points.

(tie). Maverick Smith, 0-0-87.6-0-83.4-88.05-0-0-0-259.05-44 Points.

17. Eduardo Aparecido, 0-0-0-0-96.1-89.55-0-0-0-185.65-88.5 Points.

18. Sage Steele Kimzey, 90.5-92.6-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-183.10-118 Points.

19. Thiago Salgado, 0-90.6-0-0-0-90.05-0-0-0-180.65-88 Points.

20. Kaiden Loud, 0-0-90-90.1-0-0-0-0-0-180.10-86 Points.

21. Kaique Pacheco, 0-0-0-91.55-0-87.9-0-0-0-179.45-72 Points.

22. Julio Cesar Marques, 0-91.1-0-0-0-0-87.8-0-0-178.90-65 Points.

23. Daniel Keeping, 0-0-87.05-90.9-0-0-0-0-0-177.95-44 Points.

24. Cassio Dias, 0-0-0-0-88.25-89.65-0-0-0-177.90-59 Points.

25. Michael Lane, 0-0-0-0-0-88.05-89.5-0-0-177.55-73 Points.

26. Dalton Kasel, 0-0-0-0-87.65-89.55-0-0-0-177.20-52.5 Points.

27. Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 0-0-89.5-0-0-87.25-0-0-0-176.75-41.5 Points.

28. Marco Rizzo, 0-0-0-89.75-0-86.25-0-0-0-176.00-31 Points.

29. Alan de Souza, 0-0-0-0-0-0-84.35-90.3-0-174.65-47 Points.

30. Bruno Carvalho, 0-0-0-86-87.55-0-0-0-0-173.55-31 Points.

31. Mason Taylor, 0-0-88.5-0-0-0-0-0-0-88.50-18 Points.

32. Alex Junior da Silva, 0-0-88.45-0-0-0-0-0-0-88.45-16 Points.

33. Leandro Zampollo, 0-0-0-87.95-0-0-0-0-0-87.95-12 Points.

34. Andy Guzman, 0-0-87.2-0-0-0-0-0-0-87.20-12 Points.

35. Trace Redd, 0-0-0-0-0-86.4-0-0-0-86.40-8 Points.

Clay Guiton, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00

Cort McFadden, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00

Jess Lockwood, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00

Koltin Hevalow, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00

Andrew Alvidrez, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00

Jose Vitor Leme, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00

Felipe Furlan, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00

Kase Hitt, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00

João Ricardo Vieira, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00

Austin Richardson, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00

Kade Madsen, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00

Alison dos Santos, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00

Wyatt Rogers, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00

Romario Leite, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00

Lucas Martins Costa, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00

Grayson Cole, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00

Gustavo Luiz da Silva, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00

2026 Professional Bull Riders Unleash The Beast Standings
(Place, Rider, Events, Wins, Top 5’s, Points, Total Winnings)
1. John Crimber, 19, 2, 7, 1,242.50, $1,377,906.67

2. Brady Fielder, 19, 3, 7, 1,063.67, $385,700.83

3. Hudson Bolton, 11, 1, 4, 992.50, $623,492.50

4. Paulo Eduardo Rossetto, 19, 1, 7, 849.00, $302,155.00

5. Luciano De Castro, 17, 0, 6, 827.00, $336,949.64

6. Sage Steele Kimzey, 16, 3, 4, 805.00, $284,187.62

7. Daylon Swearingen, 14, 2, 2, 662.17, $194,256.67

8. Claudio Montanha Jr., 19, 0, 4, 631.50, $176,148.81

9. Leandro Zampollo, 16, 0, 6, 620.50, $126,850.12

10. Alex Cerqueira, 19, 0, 3, 603.50, $120,015.00

11. Dalton Kasel, 16, 2, 4, 559.00, $149,473.33

12. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 18, 1, 1, 474.00, $85,991.67

13. Julio Cesar Marques, 18, 0, 3, 473.00, $109,005.48

14. Cassio Dias, 19, 1, 1, 458.50, $100,740.48

15. Bob Mitchell, 16, 0, 3, 457.17, $75,088.33

16. Marco Rizzo, 19, 1, 3, 453.00, $104,840.00

17. Maverick Smith, 17, 0, 2, 423.00, $68,608.33

18. Kaiden Loud, 17, 0, 3, 422.00, $112,363.33

19. Cort McFadden, 15, 0, 2, 414.00, $55,730.48

20. Clay Guiton, 8, 0, 4, 409.50, $94,715.48

21. Thiago Salgado, 16, 0, 1, 372.50, $100,940.00

22. Daniel Keeping, 18, 0, 1, 322.00, $61,075.00

23. Manoelito de Souza Junior, 14, 0, 1, 303.50, $79,916.67

24. Jess Lockwood, 9, 1, 1, 292.00, $80,625.00

25. Callum Miller, 17, 0, 2, 288.00, $51,697.14

26. Eduardo Aparecido, 18, 0, 1, 285.50, $93,915.00

27. Kaique Pacheco, 18, 0, 1, 267.50, $70,975.00

28. Koltin Hevalow, 18, 0, 1, 260.50, $45,533.33

29. Lucas Divino, 14, 0, 1, 244.00, $29,050.00

30. Alan de Souza, 17, 0, 1, 237.00, $43,016.67

31. Bruno Carvalho, 14, 0, 0, 235.50, $12,700.00

32. Andrew Alvidrez, 17, 1, 1, 229.00, $63,633.33

33. Dener Barbosa, 5, 0, 1, 216.00, $34,200.00

34. Jose Vitor Leme, 11, 0, 1, 211.50, $30,400.00

35. Felipe Furlan, 11, 0, 3, 197.00, $41,697.14

36. Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 19, 0, 0, 149.50, $28,100.00

37. Kase Hitt, 16, 0, 1, 147.00, $19,132.14

38. Trace Redd, 8, 0, 1, 136.00, $25,500.00

39. Afonso Quintino, 15, 0, 0, 127.00, $11,307.14

40. Kade Madsen, 5, 0, 0, 106.00, $5,650.00

41. João Ricardo Vieira, 15, 0, 0, 92.50, $9,683.33

42. Andy Guzman, 14, 0, 0, 90.00, $14,550.00

43. Michael Lane, 3, 0, 0, 87.00, $51,100.00

44. Austin Richardson, 8, 0, 0, 80.50, $15,375.00

45. Alex Junior da Silva, 7, 0, 0, 78.50, $6,775.00