Back-to-Back PBR Teams MVP to pursue historic PRCA World Championship Run in September
SUNRISE, Fla. (September 2, 2026) — The Florida Freedom today announced that reigning PBR World Champion John Crimber has agreed to a two-year contract extension that will keep one of bull riding’s brightest young stars with the team through the 2029 PBR Teams season.
Crimber is now pursuing another piece of bull riding history: becoming the first rider to win both the PBR World Championship and the PRCA bull riding World Championship in the same year. Having already captured the 2026 PBR World Championship in May, Crimber will turn his attention to the PRCA circuit in September as he chases the second title.
Accordingly, Crimber has been excused from PBR Teams competition during September to compete in PRCA rodeos as he pursues the PRCA bull riding World Championship.
“Florida Freedom has believed in me from the beginning, and this team has become family to me,” Crimber said. “I’m really excited to know I’ll be riding for the Freedom for years to come and continuing to chase a Teams Championship with these guys. I’m also grateful for the opportunity to pursue another goal this September. Winning the PBR World Championship was a dream of mine, and now I have a chance to chase something else that’s never been done. I’m going to give it everything I have.”
“John Crimber has established himself as a cornerstone of the Florida Freedom and an important part of our long-term future,” said Florida Freedom owner Heath Freeman. “Since we selected him first overall in 2024, he has helped drive the Freedom’s rise to one of the league’s premier teams, culminating in our 2025 PBR Teams Regular Season Championship. We’re excited to continue building around John with the goal of winning PBR Teams Championships for years to come. We look forward to everything he will accomplish in a Florida Freedom jersey.”
Crimber has rapidly established himself among the most accomplished young athletes in PBR history. After the Freedom selected him No. 1 overall in the 2024 PBR Teams Draft, he immediately delivered, winning the 2024 PBR Teams regular-season MVP award. He followed that breakout campaign by earning his second consecutive regular-season MVP award in 2025, becoming the youngest two-time PBR Teams MVP.
“John is one of our biggest stars and has quickly become one of the defining athletes of PBR Teams,” said Sean Gleason, CEO and Commissioner of PBR. “His commitment to the Florida Freedom through 2029 is tremendous news for the team and for the league. John also has an opportunity to accomplish something historic this September, and we’re excited to support him in that endeavor. Great athletes want to chase greatness, and John has earned the opportunity to do exactly that.”
Crimber will compete in PRCA events throughout September before returning to PBR Teams competition with the Freedom.
ABOUT FLORIDA FREEDOM
The Florida Freedom is South Florida’s professional bull riding team in the PBR Teams League, based at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, alongside the NHL’s Florida Panthers. The Freedom, the 2025 PBR Teams Regular Season Champions, are led by Head Coach Paulo Crimber, a 10-time PBR World Finals qualifier and Ring of Honor inductee. Led on the dirt by reigning PBR World Champion John Crimber, the team represents the next generation of Western sports while bringing together elite athletes, passionate fans, and premium brand partners.
ABOUT PBR TEAMS
PBR Teams is an elite league featuring the world’s top bull riders competing on teams in five-on-five games leading to a Team Championship at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. During the 2026 season, the league’s fifth, each of the 10 teams – Arizona Ridge Riders of Glendale, AZ; Austin Gamblers of Austin, TX; Carolina Cowboys of Greensboro, NC; Florida Freedom of Sunrise, FL; Kansas City Outlaws of Kansas City, MO; Missouri Thunder of Ridgedale, MO; Nashville Stampede of Nashville, TN; New York Mavericks of Belmont Park, NY; Oklahoma Wildcatters of Oklahoma City, OK; and Texas Rattlers of Fort Worth, TX – will host a three-day homestand. Neutral-site games in Anaheim, CA and Fort Collins, CO are planned for the 2026 season as well.
PBR Teams, launched in July 2022, builds on the existing structure of professional bull riding with the same basic rules for judging and scoring qualified 8-second bull rides. In events staged in a tournament-style format, all teams compete in head-to-head matchups against a different opponent each day. Each game features five riders per team squaring off against another team. Full team rosters are comprised of seven riders on the Protected Roster and three Reserve Roster riders. The team with the highest aggregate score of qualified rides among its riders is declared the winner of each game.
PBR is part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), a global sports and entertainment company. For more information, visit PBR.com, or follow on Facebook at Facebook.com/PBR, Twitter at Twitter.com/PBR, and YouTube at YouTube.com/PBR.
