CHICAGO, Ill. (December 20, 2025) – Marco Rizzo conquered two-time PBR Bull of the Year Man Hater to take his first career PBR win tonight in Chicago.
MARCO RIZZO CONQUERED A 90.25 POINT RIDE IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND ON 2X PBR BULL OF THE YEAR, MAN HATER OWNED BY THE LATE GENE OWEN AND JANE CLARK TO TAKE HIS FIRST CAREER PBR WIN IN CHICAGO. /VIDEO COURTESY OF PBR FOR TENN TEXAS MEDIA / VIDEO COURTESY OF PBR FOR TENN TEXAS MEDIA
Rizzo capped a perfect 3-for-3 weekend with a 90.25-point ride in the Championship Round on a bull who until the buzzer sounded on the night’s second-to-last out was a lot more famous than the rider on his back.
Rizzo came into Championship Saturday with 85.3 points from his Round 1 Friday night ride inside United Center. In Round 2, he then solved Sweet Action for 83.95 points to go 2-for-2.
By virtue of standing in second place after two rounds, 1.70 points behind Eduardo Aparecido, Rizzo had the second pick of the short-go championship draft. Selecting first, Aparecido took American Made, a strong bull, but certainly no Man Hater. And that decision made all the difference. With the door open to go big or go home, Rizzo chose formidable Man Hater, known to get vertical and produce monster scores…if a rider can hang on for 8 seconds.
After Rizzo’s exhilarating ride nearly blew the roof off United Center (pairing nicely with the roars from nearby Solider Field during the Bears dramatic comeback overtime win against the Packers), Aparecido, last man out on the weekend, needed an 88.6-point score for a walk-off win.
The Brazilian, who had solved Mr. Jimmy for 85.05 points earlier in Round 2 to put him into the lead, hung tight and made the buzzer on American Made. However, there wasn’t enough bull under Aparecido to leapfrog Rizzo; he was marked 88.3, giving the .3-point win to Rizzo, who then said on Paramount+ that when he woke up Saturday morning, he read a Bible verse and decided to put it all in the Lord’s hand.
The Lord apparently appreciates a David vs. Goliath bull story, and he decided it was the right day for Rizzo to knock down the highest score of his career to clinch his first PBR win.
“I’ve worked so hard for this,” said Rizzo on the Paramount+ telecast following the win. “It’s been a rough year. Only God and my parents know how much I struggled mentally and physically to get here. This is not just a win for me but a win just as much for my parents and my family back home that’s watching. This is the best feeling in the world. I feel like a million bucks. Thank you, Lord!’
– Marco Rizzo
Rizzo is now six points behind No. 1 Dalton Kasel, who went 1-2 on the weekend. His 83.95-score on Buster was not enough to qualify for the 12-rider Championship round. Kasel netted 8 points on the weekend with Rizzo, collecting 130 points in Chicago, now breathing down his neck.
Leandro Zampollo was the only other rider to go 3-for-3. Rizzo’s teammate on the New York Mavericks in the separate PBR Teams league finished third just behind Aparecido, captain of the Arizona Ridge Riders. Zampollo, also riding for his first career win, bested Crazy in the Championship round for 86.6 points, briefly taking the event lead until his Mavericks teammate Rizzo knocked him out of the top spot several outs later.
Rounding out the top five were Paulo Eduardo Rossetto and Kaiden Loud. Both went two-for-three in Chicago and are now tied for third place in the world standings with 126 points, four points behind No. 2 Rizzo and 10 behind No. 1 Kasel.
The Unleash The Beast will next head east to visit TD Garden for PBR Boston: One if By Dirt, Two if By Sea on January 2 and 3, 7:45 p.m. both nights
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