LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — There are 12 Professional Bull Riders team events within a season and they all lead up to the team championship in Las Vegas.
WATCH | Professional Bull Riders gear up for championship showdown in Las Vegas
“It’s truly the Super Bowl of our sport,” New York Mavericks bull rider Mason Taylor said.
However, instead of a Lombardi trophy, the cowboys are going for a gold buckle, and so are the bulls.
“I kind of compare it to a UFC fighter,” 11-time PBR World Finals Qualifier L.J. Jenkins said. “These bulls are on strict diets and us as contractors, you have to look at them and ask — do they need to lose a little weight or do they need to gain a little weight.”
While the bulls get championship fighting ready, the riders are all about relaxing before putting their bodies on the line.
“I think bull riding is truly the last gladiator sport there is on Earth,” Taylor said. “It’s man versus beast, you don’t know what’s going to happen when the gate opens. There’s a lot of variables that come with watching our sport, nobody goes to a NASCAR race, they like who wins, but they want to see a wreck, so I think that everybody who comes and watches us are just waiting for something exciting to happen.”
Giving the fans something to be excited about is what makes the crazy ride for these athletes worth it.
“That’s what I think makes it the most special about Vegas,” Taylor said. “Our fans aren’t just from our everyday walks of life, there’s fans I know come from Canada, Brazil, Mexico they come from all over just to watch us this one week.”
The PBR Challenger Championship is on Wednesday and Thursday while the team championship is this weekend at T-Mobile Arena.
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