LOS ANGELES – PBR’s (Professional Bull Riders) Iron Cowboy will make its debut in Los Angeles at STAPLES Center on Feb. 22-23, 2019 as the second Major of the PBR season.
The Iron Cowboy at STAPLES Center will be the first of
two stops for America’s original extreme sport in the Southern
California in 2019. PBR comes to the Honda Center in Anaheim on Sept
6-8, 2019.
PBR’s elite series will visit the country’s largest markets in 2019: New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.The Iron Cowboy was previously held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas from 2010 to 2018. Earlier this year, the event drew the largest single-day crowd in PBR history in 2018 as more than 46,000 fans packed the biggest stadium in the NFL. With the Iron Cowboy moving to Los Angeles, the PBR Global Cup, the only international bull-riding competition will make its inaugural stop in the U.S. at AT&T Stadium on February 9-10, 2019.
The Iron Cowboy is one of four PBR Majors, which are the highest-profile events of the regular season in which the top stars of the PBR — bull riders and bulls — compete in unique formats that offer increased world standings points and prize money.
The Iron Cowboy’s “ride to move on” competitive format is grueling in an already-punishing sport. Fans will watch adrenaline charged 8-second rides and wrecks as the Top 40 bull riders face off against the rankest bulls in the business. If a rider stays on his bull for the required 8 seconds, he continues to compete. If he gets bucked off, he is finished. The fearless athletes will continue to ride until one cowboy prevails and is declared the “Iron Cowboy.”
“STAPLES Center is incredibly excited to host PBR for the first time in our nineteen-year history,” Lee Zeidman, President, STAPLES Center and L.A. LIVE. “We are looking forward to hosting our great partners at PBR and all of their passionate fans throughout the weekend in downtown Los Angeles and at L.A. LIVE.”
“We are thrilled to bring our sport to Los Angeles,” said Sean Gleason, CEO, PBR. “It’s a testament to the growth of professional bull riding and the passion of our fans that PBR is now in the nation’s three largest cities. We are grateful for the support of our partners at STAPLES Center and look forward to putting on a show that dazzles the people of Tinsletown.”
Tickets for the two-day event in Los Angeles are on sale now and range in price from $15 to $225 with a special $500 ticket offered for Elite Seats. They can be purchased at the STAPLES Center Box Office and Ticketmaster.com. The bull riding action begins at 7:45 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 22 and 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, Feb 23. PBRewards members have access to select premium inventory and can purchase tickets through PBRDirect at pbr.com or 800-732-1727.
The 2018 Iron Cowboy champion Ramon de Lima, 2017 champion Eduardo Aparecido and two-time Iron Cowboy champion, Joao Ricardo Vieira, are expected to compete. They will be joined by 2017 World Champion Jess Lockwood, 2016 PBR World Champion Cooper Davis, two-time World Champion J.B. Mauney (2013, 2015), three-time World Champion Silvano Alves (2014, 2012, 2011), 2017 Rookie of the Year Jose Vitor Leme, 2015 Rookie of the Year Kaique Pacheco who currently leads the world standings, and many more.
In addition to Los Angeles and STAPLES Center, the PBR has also finalized 14 other dates in the PBR: Unleash The Beast 2019 schedule.
The first half of the schedule will be highlighted by the tours’ 12th visit to Madison Square Garden on Jan. 4-6 before premier tour stops in Chicago, Illinois on Jan. 12-13, Glendale, Arizona on Jan. 19-20, Sacramento, California on Jan. 25-27 and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on Feb. 1-2.
A major addition will be the U.S. stop of the PBR Global Cup at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Feb. 9-10 before the tour swings through Missouri (St. Louis) on Feb. 15-16 prior to heading back to California (Los Angeles).
Following stops in Little Rock, Arkansas on March 1-2; Duluth, Georgia on March 9-10; Kansas City on March 23-24; and Tacoma, Washington on March 30-31 the PBR’s top athletes will travel to fan-friendly cities in Sioux Falls, S.D. on April 5-7, and Billings, Montana on April 12-14 before closing out the month in Columbus, Ohio on April 27-28.
As the PBR’s top athletes race toward the championship buckle and a $1-million bonus, fans can check with PBR.com for tickets to all 2019 events as well as the 2019 PBR World Finals at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Nov. 8-12.
2019 PBR: UNLEASH THE BEAST SCHEDULE THROUGH APRIL
DATE CITY VENUE
Jan. 4-6 New York City Madison Square Garden
Jan. 12-13 Chicago, Ill. Allstate Arena
Jan. 19-20 Glendale, Ariz. Gila River Arena
Jan. 25-27 Sacramento, Calif. Golden 1 Center
Feb. 1-2 Oklahoma City, Okla. Chesapeake Energy Arena
Feb. 9-10 Arlington, Texas AT&T Stadium (Global Cup)
Feb. 15-16 St. Louis, Mo. Enterprise Center
Feb. 22-23 Los Angeles, Calif. STAPLES Center
March 1-2 Little Rock, Ark. Verizon Arena
March 9-10 Duluth, Ga. Infinite Energy Center
March 23-24 Kansas City, Mo. Sprint Center
March 30-31 Tacoma , Wash. TacomaDome
April 5-7 Sioux Falls, S.D. Denny Sanford Premier Center
April 12-14 Billings, Mont. RimRock Auto Arena
April 27-28 Columbus, Ohio Schottenstein Center
