With significantly more world points available than a standard tour stop, Tallahassee represented the largest regular-season opportunity of the year for riders trying to gain ground in the race toward the gold buckle. Every qualified ride carried extra weight, and every mistake had the potential to reshape the standings.<\/p>\n
Add in the post-event concert that followed the action, and the entire weekend felt like a throwback celebration of the western sports lifestyle \u2014 the kind of atmosphere that gave fans even more value for their ticket.<\/p>\n
Once the riding began, the energy inside the arena proved exactly why the Tallahassee Major carried so much importance.<\/p>\n
Four of the first six riders produced scores, the crowd stayed engaged from start to finish, and the biggest regular-season stop of the year wasted no time delivering drama.<\/p>\n
Friday, March 13, 2026<\/p>\n
Here are my Top Three Takeaways from Night One in Tallahassee.<\/p>\n
No. 3 \u2014 Sage Steele Kimzey Stayed Right Where a Champion Needs to Be<\/p>\n
World No. 1 Sage Steele Kimzey entered Tallahassee knowing every ride mattered at a Major.<\/p>\n
Kimzey delivered when it counted Friday night.<\/p>\n
Matched with Little Rip, the reigning world leader let it rip for 85.95 points, securing a qualified ride and valuable points in the standings.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t the biggest score of the round, but that hardly mattered. At this stage of the season, maintaining momentum and collecting points can be just as important as chasing huge numbers.<\/p>\n
Kimzey did exactly what championship contenders are supposed to do \u2014 take care of business.<\/p>\n
No. 2 \u2014 Dalton Kasel May Have Found the Spark<\/p>\n
Dalton Kasel covered Wingnut for 84.90 points, and the ride may have meant more than the score itself.<\/p>\n
Kasel opened the season on fire, winning the first event of the year in Manchester and quickly climbing to the top of the world standings. But injuries and the grind of the tour slowed that early momentum.<\/p>\n
Coming into Tallahassee, Kasel made a noticeable adjustment \u2014 switching back to an American bull rope after riding with a Brazilian rope earlier in the season.<\/p>\n
Sometimes a small change is all it takes.<\/p>\n
Friday night suggested the adjustment may have helped, as Kasel secured a qualified ride and positioned himself to build momentum heading deeper into the weekend.<\/p>\n
No. 1 \u2014 John Crimber Owned Night One<\/p>\n
The ride of the night belonged to John Crimber.<\/p>\n
Matched with Phe-Phe\u2019s Soul Man, Crimber delivered a standout performance, riding the bull for 88.80 points to win Round 1 and collect 38 Unleash The Beast points.<\/p>\n
More impressive than the score was the way he rode.<\/p>\n
Crimber stayed loose, reactive, and completely comfortable throughout the ride, letting the bull do what he does while simply matching every move.<\/p>\n
When the dust settled Friday night in Florida\u2019s capital city, Crimber had closed the gap on world No. 1 Sage Kimzey to just 55 points.<\/p>\n
And with a Major event still unfolding, the potential for a significant shift in the standings was very real.<\/p>\n
Top 12 After Round 1 \u2014 Tallahassee<\/p>\n
John Crimber \u2014 88.80 \u2014 38 points<\/p>\n
Trace Redd \u2014 88.55 \u2014 28 points<\/p>\n
Daylon Swearingen \u2014 88.20 \u2014 22 points<\/p>\n
Kase Hitt \u2014 87.35 \u2014 20 points<\/p>\n
Alex Cerqueira \u2014 87.10 \u2014 18 points<\/p>\n
Marco Rizzo \u2014 86.95 \u2014 17 points<\/p>\n
Cort McFadden \u2014 86.85 \u2014 16 points<\/p>\n
Maverick Smith \u2014 86.50 \u2014 13.5 points<\/p>\n
Bob Mitchell \u2014 86.50 \u2014 13.5 points<\/p>\n
Kaiden Loud \u2014 86.15 \u2014 11 points<\/p>\n
Sage Steele Kimzey \u2014 85.95 \u2014 10 points<\/p>\n
Eduardo Aparecido \u2014 85.85 \u2014 9 points<\/p>\n
Saturday, March 14, 2026<\/p>\n
Round Two Belonged to Andy Guzman<\/p>\n
Round Two Belonged to Andy Guzman<\/p>\n
Saturday night\u2019s Round Two would end with Andy Guzman on top.<\/p>\n
Matched with Hoka Hey, Guzman made the most of a re-ride opportunity, covering the bull for 88.65 points.<\/p>\n
From the moment the gate opened, Guzman looked completely in control, spurring with authority with his outside foot and staying balanced throughout the ride.<\/p>\n
The bull performed well, but Guzman was never in danger. When the eight seconds expired, he walked away with the go-round win, 38 Unleash The Beast points, and a significant payday at the Tallahassee Major.<\/p>\n
No. 3 \u2014 A Missed Opportunity for the World No. 1<\/p>\n
World No. 1 Sage Kimzey entered Saturday night with an opportunity to extend his lead in the standings.<\/p>\n
Instead, the door opened for the rest of the field.<\/p>\n
Kimzey drew Purple Rain, but the matchup ended quickly. The bull dominated the encounter, sending Kimzey to the dirt in 2.94 seconds.<\/p>\n
With only one qualified ride coming from Friday night\u2019s opening round, Kimzey was unable to capitalize on the biggest points opportunity of the regular season.<\/p>\n
At a Major event, missed opportunities can quickly change the landscape of the championship race.<\/p>\n
No. 2 \u2014 Cort McFadden Seized an Unexpected Opportunity<\/p>\n
The Championship Round in Tallahassee featured five qualified rides, but one of them stood out for the circumstances surrounding it.<\/p>\n
Cort McFadden only found himself in the Championship Round after several riders ahead of him were forced to sit out due to injuries. That placed him 12th in the order \u2014 the final rider into the round \u2014 and in most cases, that means drawing the bull nobody else wanted.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s exactly the situation McFadden walked into.<\/p>\n
In front of a packed Tallahassee crowd at the sport\u2019s biggest regular-season event of the year, McFadden stepped up and delivered, riding Night Fury for 87.30 points. From the moment the gate opened, he looked completely in control, matching the bull move for move and finishing the ride with authority.<\/p>\n
By the time Kate Harrison caught up with him for the post-ride interview, McFadden looked like he had barely broken a sweat \u2014 a testament to just how comfortable he looked during the ride.<\/p>\n
Opportunities like that don\u2019t come around often, and when they do, capitalizing on them can make all the difference. In Tallahassee, Cort McFadden did exactly that.<\/p>\n
No. 1 \u2014 Daylon Swearingen Made the Weekend Count<\/p>\n
If one rider took full advantage of the Tallahassee Major, it was Daylon Swearingen.<\/p>\n
After battling injuries and inconsistent results throughout the early part of the season, Swearingen arrived in Florida looking to regain momentum.<\/p>\n
He did exactly that.<\/p>\n
Swearingen rode a perfect 3-for-3, punctuating the performance with a 90.85-point ride aboard UTZ BesTex Smokestack to win the Championship Round and secure the event victory.<\/p>\n
The win carried added significance. It marked Swearingen\u2019s first event victory since his championship season in 2022, when he was crowned the PBR World Champion.<\/p>\n
The result had major implications for the standings.<\/p>\n
Swearingen entered Tallahassee ranked 30th in the world. By the end of the weekend, he had climbed all the way to No. 15 in the standings heading into Indianapolis.<\/p>\n
But the biggest shift happened at the very top.<\/p>\n
Because of his success earlier in the event, John Crimber now sits as the new No. 1 rider in the world, overtaking Sage Kimzey by just 28 points \u2014 roughly the value of a single go-round win.<\/p>\n
And in a season where every point matters, the Tallahassee Major proved once again just how quickly the championship race can change.<\/p>\n
Top Five Finishers \u2014 Tallahassee<\/p>\n
Daylon Swearingen \u2014 266.40 \u2014 188 UTB points<\/p>\n
Maverick Smith \u2014 265.75 \u2014 149.5 UTB points<\/p>\n
John Crimber \u2014 177.35 \u2014 120 UTB points<\/p>\n
Felipe Furlan \u2014 177.25 \u2014 69 UTB points<\/p>\n
Paulo Eduardo Rossetto \u2014 175.70 \u2014 63 UTB points<\/p>\n
Honorable Mention \u2014 Remembering Man Hater<\/p>\n
One of the more emotional storylines surrounding the Tallahassee weekend actually began the week prior in Simmons Bank Arena in Little Rock, Arkansas.<\/p>\n
There, fans unknowingly witnessed what would become the final out for one of the most iconic bucking bulls in the sport \u2014 Man Hater.<\/p>\n
Man Hater wasn\u2019t just another great bull. He was one of the most dominant animal athletes in the history of professional bull riding, producing some of the highest bull scores ever recorded, including legendary marks approaching 49.5 points.<\/p>\n
His passing comes not long after the loss of legendary stock contractor Gene Owen, the man behind Man Hater and one of the most respected figures in the bucking bull industry.<\/p>\n
Losing both Gene Owen and Man Hater within the span of a year is heartbreaking for the bull riding community.<\/p>\n
Rest in peace, Man Hater.<\/p>\n
Missed the Action from Tallahassee?<\/p>\n
Did you miss the action from Tallahassee and want to see how your favorite rider performed?<\/p>\n
Or maybe you\u2019re not watching for the riders at all \u2014 maybe you just enjoy watching the bulls buck and want to see how the animal athletes performed.<\/p>\n
If you want to see every score, every buckoff time, and every bull score from the weekend, click HERE<\/a> for the complete event results.<\/p>\n Updated 2026 PBR Unleash The Beast World Standings<\/p>\n