Cowtown Coliseum to host 2023 Ultimate Bullfighting World Finals Dec. 7-16
Dec. 3—FORT WORTH — In December, Fort Worth and the Cowtown Coliseum will host the six-day, two-weekend 2023 Ultimate Bullfighters World Finals, featuring 24 of the world's best freestyle bullfighters.
The roster set to compete includes Malaqi Cook, of Mineral Wells; Tyler Norton, of Weatherford; Wagner Miqueline, of Brazil; Chance Moorman, of Lytle, Texas; Knox Dunn, of Louisiana; Broc Bowman, of Oklahoma; Cauy Kraut, of Arizona; Dylan Idleman, of Oklahoma; Jacorey Golden, of Mississippi; Noah Krepps, of Arkansas; Emmett Walker, of Idaho; Sam Marical, of Oklahoma; Connor Quezada, of Colorado; Cy Ferguson, of Boyd, Texas; Trenton Ross, of Wyoming; Ryan Fizer, of Comanche, Texas; Colby Lindsey, of Kentucky; Zek Smith, of Georgia; Zach Stephens, of Georgia; and Tyler Washburn and Dakota Martin, both of Michigan.
The high-adrenaline action will take over Fort Worth on Dec. 7-9 and Dec. 14-16, beginning nightly at 7:30 p.m.
The UBF, launched in 2020 and showcasing the acrobatic Western discipline of freestyle bullfighting, is managed in partnership between Luke Kaufman, two-time PBR World Champion J.B. Mauney (Statesville, North Carolina) and renowned bullfighter Cody Webster. After awarding $237,000 in prize money in its inaugural season, the UBF paid out more than $350,000 in 2021, $550,000 in 2022, and is pacing to award more than $600,000 in 2023.
In freestyle bullfighting, a bullfighter competes for 60 seconds against a fighting bull predominantly of Spanish descent in an effort to score points for maneuvers performed during the one-minute competition. Unlike traditional bullfighting, the animals are not harmed. Bullfighters are judged solely on their ability to perform gravity-defying acrobatic stunts as close to the bull as possible without getting hit.
Throughout the six days of action for the 2023 UBF World Finals, produced in partnership with the PBR, 24 of the world's top freestyle bullfighters will compete through a tiered, progressive elimination format until the 2023 UBF World Champion is crowned on Saturday, Dec. 16, earning the accompanying $50,000 bonus.
The field is headlined by two-time and reigning UBF World Champion Chance Moorman, who earned the title in 2020 and 2022, in addition to 2021 World Champion Knox Dunn and 2022 UBF Rookie of the Year Broc Bowman.
Additionally, both Idleman and Krepps will be competing as the tournament's Iron Men, having qualified to compete at the UBF World Finals annually since the organization was launched in 2020.
The remaining three berths to the 2023 UBF World Finals will be awarded to the top competitors from the Fiesta Del Toro residency events held at Cowtown Coliseum every Sunday afternoon.
The action will get underway with pool play on Thursday, Dec. 7 and Friday, Dec. 8. Bullfighters in Pool A will compete on Dec. 7, followed by Pool B on Dec. 8. On both nights, the pool of contenders will be split into four groups of three, with the top performing bullfighter in each trio advancing to the next stage of competition on Saturday, Dec. 9.
On Dec. 9, the eight advancing bullfighters from Pool A and B will be joined by the top four performing runner-up finishers. The 12 competing bullfighters will again be split into four groups of three, with the top performing contender in each grouping earning an automatic berth to Championship Saturday on Dec. 16.
The 2023 UBF World Finals will resume Thursday, Dec. 14 with the Redemption Round, followed by the Wild Card Round on Friday, Dec. 15. Each day of competition will again showcase 12 bullfighters competing in four groups of three. The Redemption Round will feature the 12 bullfighters who did not advance from the initial round of pool competition, while the Wild Card Round will include four winning bullfighters from Dec. 14, and the eight bullfighters who did not advance following the event on Dec. 9
The competition will come to a climactic end Saturday, Dec. 16 when the Top 4 bullfighters from Dec. 9 and the Top 4 bullfighters from the Wild Card Round go head-to-head to earn one of four coveted positions in the winner-take-all shoot out round.
In the shoot-out championship round, the four advancing bullfighters will each take to the dirt one final time with the top performer being crowned the 2023 UBF World Champion and collecting the accompanying $25,000 bonus.
Tickets for the 2023 UBF World Finals are on sale now and can be purchased at AXS.com, or by visiting the Cowtown Coliseum Box Office.
General Admission tickets start at $35, taxes and fees not included. Seniors can purchase select seats for $30, while select tickets for children ages 2-13 are available for $15.
For more information about how to attend the 2023 UBF World Finals at Cowtown Coliseum, visit ultimatebullfighters.com.
