JACKSONVILLE, Florida — Alright folks, grab the popcorn and hold onto your hats, because Saturday night inside VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena was pure, red-blooded bull ridin’ drama — and Sage Steele Kimzey just put the whole PBR world on notice!
In front of a sellout crowd at Progressive PBR Jacksonville, the seven-time PRCA World Champion stomped his brand on the night, posting his second Unleash The Beast win of the season and snatching the No. 1 spot in the race for the 2026 PBR World Title.
The Ride That Turned the Standings Upside Down
Now listen — when it mattered most, Kimzey stepped into that Championship Round draft, picked fourth, and said, “I want that bull again.”
He climbed aboard Lights Out — the same animal he matched up with earlier this season in New York City — and buddy, that was no accident.
90.75 points.
That’s the highest-marked ride of the entire Jacksonville event — and the only score to crack 90 all weekend.
Kimzey summed it up the way only a champion can:
“If you were creating a player on a video game, that would be the bull that you’d create.”
New Sheriff at the Top
With 138 points earned in Jacksonville, Kimzey now leads the UTB standings for the first time in his PBR career, edging past young gun John Crimber of Decatur, Texas, by 24 points.
And with that second event win, Kimzey joins Dalton Kasel as the only riders this season to win multiple UTB events.
The Rest of the Money-Winners
Two other cowboys went a clean 3-for-3 across the weekend, and they didn’t leave Florida empty-handed:
Alex Cerqueira (Brazil) finished second, putting together a solid short round to earn 101 points and sit fifth in the standings.
Bob Mitchell (Missouri) rolled the dice on Bex Red Eye and cashed in with an 88.25-point ride in the final round — good for third place and a jump to No. 17 in the standings.
Felipe Furlan (Brazil) took fourth, staying red-hot with another 89.65 — making it four of his last six rides at 89 or better — moving up to No. 25.
And rounding out the top five, Cort McFadden (Texas) fought his way into the final twelve, then delivered when it counted with an 88.25 on a re-ride — now sitting No. 12 in the standings.
Bull Power: Man Hater Brings the Heat
And let’s not forget the four-legged athlete — World No. 1 bull Man Hater was the top-scored bull of the weekend, tossing Maverick Smith at 3.05 seconds in the Championship Round.
Injury Update: Clay Guiton Sidelined
On the Paramount+ broadcast, PBR announced that No. 3-ranked Clay Guiton will miss roughly three months after a head injury suffered earlier this month in Salt Lake City. He’ll be re-evaluated in April, with an eye on returning for the PBR World Finals (May 7–17) in Fort Worth, Texas.
What’s Next on the Trail?
Next stop for Unleash The Beast: Bridgeport, Connecticut, February 27–28 at Total Mortgage Arena, with both nights starting at 7:45 p.m. ET.
And folks, if Kimzey keeps ridin’ like this — the rest of the pack better start chasing dust, because the man from Strong City, Oklahoma just rode straight into the driver’s seat.
