José Vitor Leme aims to make his next stop in Anaheim the most memorable one of his decorated bull riding career.
The three-time PBR world champion arrives at this weekend’s Team Series event at Honda Center needing two more coveted 90-point rides to tie the all-time PBR record of 94, which has been firmly in the grasp of Chris Shivers the past 14 years.
“That can happen this weekend,” Leme said. “That makes Anaheim even more special for me. I’m looking forward to trying to beat that record.”
Leme, 30, will get his first shot at a 90-point ride on Friday evening when he fills one of five rider slots for the Austin Wranglers in their showdown against the New York Mavericks, one of five head-to-head matchups among the 10 teams.
The event continues Saturday evening and concludes Sunday afternoon, providing Leme two additional shots at a 90-point ride.
Shivers turned pro the year after Leme was born in 1997, and won PBR world championships in 2000 and 2003.
When he retired in 2012, Shivers believed his record would never be broken.
“That’s a record that took a while,” Shivers said. “I’m glad (Leme’s) the guy that’s going to break it.”
Leme also comes to Anaheim riding one of the best qualified ride streaks of his career.
He’s gone the eight-second distance on 12 straight rides, a PBR Team Series record, including 3 for 3 in each of the past four team events.
With each successful ride, he’s feeling more and more in sync with the bulls.
“You always feel better when you’re riding good,” Leme said. “Twelve in a row, it’s a big number, especially with the bulls today. They’re very, very hard to ride.”
Leme’s longest qualified ride streak is 14, and the all-time PBR record is 24 straight by Silvano Alves, which spanned 2014 and 2015.
“It’s going to take a lot of work with that one,” Leme said of Alves’ streak. “But I’m halfway there, that’s what I told my wife.”
Leme won the first two MVP awards of the PBR Team Series back in 2022 and 2023, and is currently atop the MVP race at the season’s halfway point.
Leme hasn’t been awarded a score of 90 or better in his past four qualified rides, last hitting that mark with a 91.45 aboard Up The Ante on Aug. 22 in Austin, Texas.
Getting a 90-point score from the judges depends just as much on the bull’s performance as the rider’s, but Leme has a knack for getting the best out of both.
That’s why Shivers doesn’t see his record lasting much longer.
“He’s an athlete,” Shivers said of Leme. “He’s going to break the record; it’s just a matter of time. He’s breaking records every week, seems like. My hat’s off to him.”
Leme is also aiming to become the first four-time PBR world champion.
“That’s my main focus right now,” Leme said.
Leme arrived in the U.S. from Brazil in 2017 and, within days, shocked the rodeo world by going 6 for 6 at the PBR World Finals, capped by a 94.25 ride on Magic Train.
He won his first world title in 2020, defended it in 2021 with help from a monstrous 98.75 score aboard Woopaa, which remains the highest PBR ride score ever.
He then joined Adriano Morães and Alves as the only three-time world champions in 2025, despite missing nearly half the season with injuries.
“I remember when I first got here, everything was so new for me,” Leme said of his arrival in the U.S. nine years ago. “Like, literally everything. The bulls, the atmosphere, the country, the language, the food, everything. I just expected to do my job and ride the bulls. It started really good, winning the world title. … That was the kickoff for me, and I kept going.”