BILLINGS, Mont. – As the top two riders in the world faltered for the second night in a row, Thiago Salgado (Navirai, Brazil) emerged victorious, winning Round 2 of the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast (UTB) Wrangler PBR Billings, presented by Cooper Tires.

After being bucked off of Tchoupitoulas (Hart Cattle Company) in 3.27 seconds in Round 1 on Friday night, Salgado was paired with Buffalo Heifer (Sterk Bucking Bulls) on night two in Billings, Montana.

The 21-year-old, who rides for the Florida Freedom in the separate PBR Teams league, rocketed from the chutes on Saturday night as the full house of fans cheered and his fellow riders shouted at him from the back of the chutes.

Salgado knocked down a round-winning, 89.25-point ride, becoming one of 12 men out of a field of 37 to record a qualified ride in Round 2.

The three-day event at First Interstate Arena at MetraPark marks the 29^th time the elite tour has visited Billings and the 20^th Unleash The Beast event of the 2024 season. Just three events remain before the 2024 PBR World Finals in Fort Worth, Texas, beginning on May 9.

With the round win, the Brazilian cowboy, who arrived in Montana at No. 14 in the Unleash The Beast World Championship standings, earned 28 Unleash The Beast points and climbed to No. 13.

Both world leader Cassio Dias (Sao F. de Sales, Brazil) and No. 2 John Crimber (Decatur, Texas) shockingly bucked off for the second night in a row in Billings. Despite both hitting the ground in under three seconds on Saturday night, Dias still sits 580.5 points ahead of Crimber in the race for a world title.

After a less-than-ideal Friday night when bucked off by Border Crisis (Hart Cattle Co/Hale) in 4.39 seconds, Alex Cerqueira (Iguatemi, Brazil) was runner up to Salgado in Round 2, scoring 87.25 points on Tijuana Two-Step (Blake Sharp/ Michael Floyd).

For his runner-up finish in the round, the 31-year-old Brazilian earned 18 Unleash The Beast points.

Cerqueira moved from No. 23 to No. 21 in the Unleash The Beast standings.

Austin Gamblers man Ezekiel Mitchell (Rockdale, Texas) clinched third place on Saturday night courtesy of an 86.5-point score.

Flashing his signature smile and dancing through rider walk-off after conquering Buzz (Flinn Cattle Co), Mitchell collected 17 Unleash The Beast points to hold at No. 36 in the standings.  

Seven-time PRCA World Champion Sage Kimzey (Strong City, Oklahoma), also shut out in the opening round, finished Saturday in fourth place to hold at No. 31 in the standings.

Despite being rolled to the ground Friday night in 2.37 seconds, Kimzey came back strong on Saturday aboard Wing Man (D&H Cattle Company) for 85.75 points.

Arizona Ridge Rider Eduardo Aparecido (Gouvelandia, Brazil) rounded out the Top 5 of Round 2 to maintain his hold at No. 4 in the world standings and cruise to the top of the weekend leaderboard.

After going 0-for-3 in Sioux Falls last weekend, he was the Round 1 winner on Friday night after netting 88.5 points aboard Wild Card (Blake Sharp/UB Bucking Bulls).

Paired with Benjamin Ranklin (Farris Cattle/ Big Schott Rodeo), a bull making its debut at the elite level on Saturday night, Aparecido showcased his veteran talent as the incredibly agile animal athlete leapt from the chutes. His 85.25-point score put him in first place on the weekend leaderboard heading into Championship Sunday.

Aparecido earned 15 Unleash The Beast points for his fifth-place finish.

The Wrangler PBR Billings, presented by Cooper Tires, continues with Round 3 and the championship round on Sunday, April 14, at 1:45 p.m. MT.

PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer re-airs and on-demand replays of every PBR Unleash The Beast event. PBR RidePass is available on desktops, laptops and mobile devices via www.pluto.tv. Click here for on-demand PBR programming.