Unleash the Beast Series

The Unleash the Beast Series (UTB) is the Premier Series of the Professional Bull Riders since 2018. Prior to that, the Premier Series was known as the Bud Light Cup Series (BLC) from 1994 to 2002 and the Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) from 2003 to 2017.[1][2][3] The top 35 riders and top bulls compete at each event.[1] It culminates at the PBR World Finals at the end of the regular season. The UTB series includes 20 events across the United States each year. Pyrotechnics, pulsating music, and special effects open each event.[1] UTB events range from one to three days, with all 35 riders competing in the long rounds, then the top 12 returning to the Championship Round to determine the event champion. [4]

• From 2015 to 2021, four regular season Premier Series events were Majors.[4] The first major of the year was the Monster Energy Buck Off event at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York.[5]

• Next came the Iron Cowboy, which took place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas from 2010 to 2018 before moving to the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California in 2019.[6]

• The third Major of the year was the Last Cowboy Standing, which took place in Las Vegas, Nevada from 2011 to 2018, except for the one-off year in 2012 when the event was held at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.[7] In July 2019, the Last Cowboy Standing event found a new home at Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming.[8] In 2020, Cheyenne Frontier Days was canceled for the first time in its 124-year history. This was due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It ultimately effected the Last Cowboy Standing event as well.[9] Cheyenne Frontier Days returned in 2021, as did the Last Cowboy Standing event.[10]

• The last major event of the season was the Music City Knockout, which took place at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.[11] In 2020, this event was canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions,[12] but returned in 2021.[13]

This article is part of a series about Professional Bull Riders
Champions PBR World Champions World Finals Event Champions Rookie of the Year World Champion Bull Touring Pro Division Champions Velocity Tour Champions PBR Global Cup American Bucking Bull Awards Glen Keeley Award recipients Lane Frost/Brent Thurman Award recipients Stock Contractor of the Year Bull of the Finals Professional Bull Riders: Heroes and Legends Ring of Honor Ty Murray Top Hand Award Brand of Honor Jim Shoulders Lifetime Achievement Award Sharon Shoulders Award Tours Unleash the Beast Series Velocity Tour Touring Pro Division Built Ford Tough Series Bud Light Cup Series Statistics 90 Point Club High Marked Bull All Time Money Earners

Major events offered competition in different formats, bonus bulls, and more prize money. These major events were broadcast on CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports.[4] The PBR did not visit New York City or Los Angeles in 2021 because of COVID-19 restrictions, and the Iron Cowboy event took place at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, that year in the summer instead of its usual run in the winter.[14] The UTB series returned to Madison Square Garden in New York City[15] and Crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center) in Los Angeles in 2022.[16] As of said year, neither Cheyenne or Nashville are stops on the UTB schedule and the PBR no longer holds majors due to the shortened UTB season and the new PBR Team Series which will take place during the second half of the calendar year.

15/15 Bucking Battles are offered at some PBR UTB events. This type of event matches the top 15 bull riders against the top 15 bulls in attendance. The matching is random. There is a separate purse for this event. Points are earned at the rate of 1 and 1/2 times the round points. Points do not factor into the event winner but do count toward the World Standings. The winner is the bull rider with the highest ride score.[4]

Qualifying for the PBR Unleash the Beast World Finals is based on points. Points can be earned on all of the PBR's tours, which include the UTB elite tour, mid-level (Velocity Tour), and entry level (Pro Touring Division) tour, and the International tours. International tours include Australia, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico. The top 35 riders in the World Standings according to points earned compete at the World Finals. The Velocity Tour Champion, the top three highest ranked finishers at the Velocity Tour Finals, and the highest ranked finisher international rider at the Velocity Tour Finals also compete at the World Finals.[17]

The PBR World Finals concludes in Fort Worth, Texas. It awards almost $2.2 million. This includes the $1 million bonus to the World Champion. The World Champion also receives a championship gold belt buckle, for which the value increased from $10,000 to $20,000 in 2018.[3][17]