World's best bull riders face off at MVP Arena championship

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Julio Cesar Marques has won the 2024 Professional Bull Rider's (PBR) World Championship Saturday night at the MVP Arena in Albany. Marques, a rider from Brazil, rose from No. 7 to No. 3 in the world rankings.

Marques won $46,090 and 133 points in the world championship race. He scored 88.75 in the championship round on Saturday night, totaling 262 points in all three rounds. Marques is now 121.67 points behind No. 1 seed John Crimber.

The world's best bull riders went head to head on Friday and Saturday nights in a two-day race for the championship title. Once the chute gates open and the bull runs into the arena, everything is on the line for many of the bull riders.

“Right before I get on my bull, I just stay focused and be confident, but most of the time when I’m on my bull I try not to think. I just let my body react. My body knows what to do," said Austin Richardson, winner of the 2023 PBR World Championship.

This year, 40 bull riders fought for eight seconds or more for a chance at the champion title. This title is something rider John Crimber said he's been dreaming of since he was six.

“You want to be the best you got to go and work at it every day , that’s literally what I did my whole life," said Crimber. "Thought about bull riding, wake up, bull riding, go to sleep thinking about bull riding."

Crimber is only 19 years old and placed in first during Friday night's round one, with a score of 89.50. Riders Daniel Keeping and Austin Richardson were only one point behind him.

“This has been a dream since I was a kid and I wouldn’t trade it for nothing," said Richardson. “Mostly just believing in myself, just knowing that I can do it. Don't try to put too much strategy into it because those bulls can do anything."

This is the third year that the MVP Arena hosted the "Unleash the Beast" race. Jim Palermo, director of remote operations with PBR said bull riding is a growing sport not just in Albany, but across the country.

“It's really a popular sport everywhere. You think about big cities but there’s always rural around every city so it draws a lot of people from not only in the cities but from around them," said Palermo.

The next stop for these bull riders is New York City. There are also tickets on sale for next year's PBR World Championship Race at MVP Arena on their website.