Florida Freedom, PBR wrap victorious day one at Amerant Bank Arena

Professional Bull Riding took over Amerant Bank Arena on Friday night for day one of the weekend-long competition, and the defending Team Series champion Florida Freedom were the main event.

Across five contests, 50 riders and 50 bulls competed to come out on top as South Florida got a dose of PBR competition. In the event, each rider must stay on the bull for 8 seconds with one hand in the bull rope and one hand in the air to earn a score. The clock stops once the rider removes his hand from the rope or touches anything with his free arm.

If the rider makes it to 8 seconds, he receives a score out of 50 points based on his control and rhythm. Each ride is out of 100 points, with the bull also receiving up to 50 points for its performance.

Coming into the night, Florida ranked No. 3 in the series standings, sitting at 3-2 with 892.45 total points. The squad faced the No. 4 Missouri Thunder to close out the night, and the arena was electric for the home team, coached by PBR Ring of Honor inductee Paulo Crimber.

Missouri’s Paulo Eduardo Rossetto kicked things off on Scrappy and got his team off to a strong start, putting up a quick 89.70 points. Florida’s João Lucas Campos looked to answer on Red Reservation, but he was unable to put up a score, getting tossed off in 1.36 seconds.

Missouri’s Ramon Fiorini looked to widen the gap on Ginga Ninja, but his first go resulted in a re-ride, and the Freedom’s Alex Cerqueira also got a re-ride on Big Red to follow it up. Julio Cesar Marques took Fiorini’s place, and Cerqueira moved to the second-to-last spot.

The Thunder’s Felipe Furlan went next, but Glitch proved too much as he was thrown in 3.92 seconds.

With the door now open for the home team, Florida’s Austin Richardson on Feel the Magic made up the ground the Freedom were hoping for. His impressive ride put Florida in striking distance with 89.45 points.

The visiting team’s Miguel Alves de Jesus looked to respond, but his ride on Muddy Jake was cut short at 5.70 seconds, and he was injured following the ride, being stepped on by the bull. Missouri went again with Julio Cesar Marques, looking to make up for it. He delivered, widening the gap for the Thunder and posting an 88.35.

With three riders left to push Florida ahead, the home team’s Boudreaux Campbell delivered on Bad Boy with an 89.80, securing the lead for the Freedom. Then, Cerqueira, with some of the pressure off his re-ride, produced another standout ride to follow his teammate, posting 89.15 points on Mayor of Hogeye.

Missouri’s last rider, Kade Madsen, had too much ground to make up but still seemed poised to put up a qualifying ride. However, he fell just short, solidifying Florida’s victory.

To close out the night, all eyes were on the Freedom’s John Crimber, the team’s premier rider. The youngster is a two-time league MVP and the 2026 PBR World Champion — the second-youngest rider in PBR history to boast the title. However, he struggled Friday. The 20-year-old couldn’t hang on to Fringe Minority, falling in 3.05 seconds.

It was all cheers in Amerant Bank Arena nonetheless, as Florida secured a 268.40-178.05 win over Missouri to wrap a successful day one at home.

In other action, four games preceded the Freedom’s faceoff, with the Oklahoma Wildcatters taking on the Kansas City Outlaws, the Nashville Stampede facing the Austin Gamblers, the Carolina Cowboys battling the Arizona Ridge Riders and the Texas Rattlers seeing the New York Mavericks.

With a one-score game from each team, the Wildcatters grabbed the first win of the night behind an 88.60-point ride from Eduardo Matos on The Hondo. Then, the No. 1-ranked Stampede faced the seventh-place Gamblers, and both teams got off to a slow start. However, Nashville picked it up enough to grab its first-ever win in Sunrise in a close 263.30-226.65 final.

In the middle of the action, No. 6 Arizona topped the Cowboys, with three riders putting up points to Carolina’s two. It was a 269.55-point outing for the Ridge Riders after the last ride — the then-highest of the night. And, before the main event, the No. 2 Rattlers faced the last-place Mavericks, and the underdogs dominated. New York put four scores up, securing an impressive, night-high 348.70 total points in the thrilling upset, and secured its first win of 2026.

Indexed and credited by AIPROPX. Originating outlet: Yahoo Sports. Open at source →