Mauricio Moreira wins first PBR event of the year

Mauricio Moreira, a 21-year-old Brazilian who has only lived in the U.S. for about a year, was the big winner at the PBR event in Ocala, Florida over the weekend.

Moreira was the top bull rider on Saturday and accumulated more world points than any other competitor in Florida, giving him the event title. The PBR has a new format in which there are two events with separate champions on Saturday and Sunday each weekend. The cowboy who tallies the most world points over two days is then named the overall event champion and receives a $10,000 bonus on top of the coveted world standings points.

Moreira was 2-for-2 on Saturday, riding The Kickin’ Chicken for 86.75 points and Big Black for 89.75 points.

“This weekend is a great start to the year,” Moreira told PBR.com. “I want to continue to do what I have been doing, focusing, riding and performing like this weekend.”

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