Rodeo News

CLN Insider: 2018 Match of Champions

by
Eileen Moss
March 4, 2018

15 World Champion Bull Riders Compete for $100,000 June 15 & 16

Chad Berger, 7X PBR Stock Contractor of the Year. He and his wife and business partner Sarah, hail from Mandan, North Dakota

Reigning PBR Stock Contractor of the year, Chad Berger, recently announced he will be hosting a historical bull riding event June 15 & 16 at the Bismarck Event Center in Bismarck, ND.
Chad Berger, 7X PBR Stock Contractor of the Year. He and his wife and business partner Sarah, hail from Mandan, North Dakota.
For the first time in Bull Riding History, 15 Champion Bull Riders will compete in one arena for $100,000.
Those invited to the “Match of Champions” include eight PBR Champions, 5 PRCA Champions, the reigning Intercollegiate Rodeo Champion, and the reigning Indian National Finals Champion:

Silvano Alves, 3X PBR World Champion

JB Mauney, 2X PBR World Champ

ion

JW Harris, 4X PRCA World ChampionSage Kimzey, 4X PRCA World Champion

Jess Lockwood, 2017 PBR World Champion

Cooper Davis, 2016 PBR World Champion

Cody Teel, 2012 PRCA World ChampionShane Proctor, 2011 PRCA World ChampionKody Lostroh, 2009 PBR World Champion

Guilherme Marchi, 2008 PBR World Champion

Wesley Silcox, 2007 PRCA World ChampionMike Lee, 2004 PBR World ChampionEdnei Caminhas, 2002 PBR World ChampionCole Melancon, 2017 CNFR Rodeo ChampionCody Jesus, Indian National Finals Rodeo Champion

**Renato Nunes, 2010 PBR World Champion (coming out of retirement)**

For the first time in Bull Riding History, 15 Champion Bull Riders will compete in one arena for $100,000.

This may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see this many champions compete with one another in one arena. They will be competing on Chad Berger, 7X PBR Stock Contractor of the year’s bulls, including the infamous Pearl Harbor.

Match of Champions Invitee, Sage Kimzey, rode Pearl Harbor for 92 points and $20,000 last year during an exhibition showdown at the PRCA rodeo in Berger’s North Dakota hometown of Mandan. Photo Courtesy of Jackie Jensen.

Match of Champions Invitee, Sage Kimzey, rode Pearl Harbor for 92 points and $20,000 last year during an exhibition showdown at the PRCA rodeo in Berger’s North Dakota hometown of Mandan.

Chad Berger Bucking Bulls, including famous bovine athletes such as Pearl Harbor and Asteroid, will be the stars out of the chutes at the “Match of Champions” event in June at the Bismarck Event Center in Bismarck, ND.

June 15 & 16 Match of Champions at the Bismarck Event Center Quick Facts:

- Tickets go on sale March 10.
- There are a combined 22 World Champion gold buckles between the “Match of Champions” contestants.
- There is a 223-year difference between the youngest bull rider (19-year-old Indian Finals Champion Cody Jesus), and the oldest rider (42-year-old Ednei Caminhas).

The winner of each round will win $25,000.
The winner of the event with the largest aggregate score will win $50,000.
There will also be a Touring Pro Division event prior to the “Match of Champions” event.
For the first time in Bull Riding History, 15 Champion Bull Riders will compete in one arena for $100,000.

Eileen Moss

Born and raised on a cattle ranch on the Flathead Indian Reservation in northwest Montana, Eileen graduated from University of Montana - Western with a Business Degree. She is the mother of two grown children - Sydnee, and Billy Quade; and grandmother of two, Lillian and Rocky Rex. Eileen draws from personal, life experiences; as she has held many positions over the years including heavy equipment operator, member of a survey crew for Independence Mining, veterinary technician, Bud Girl for Anheuser-Busch, PR Director for the Idaho Cowboys Association, feed manager for Midland Bull Test Station in Columbus, Montana, National Event Coordinator for Montana Silversmiths, security guard for the Muskogee Creek Nation One Fire Casino, Marketing Director for the Tulsa RV Ranch, and freelance writer for various publications - including a weekly column for three years in the "Elko Daily Free Press" in Elko, Nevada. She enjoys training barrel horses and singing - and has sung the National Anthem for rodeos such as the Reno Rodeo in Reno, Nevada, the College National Finals, and the New Year's Eve Bull Bash in Salt Lake City, Utah.