Two-Time PBR Canada Champion Dakota Buttar Wins Record-Setting, Sold-Out Cup Series Event in Kelowna, British Columbia

KELOWNA, B.C. – In front of a record-setting, sold-out crowd Thursday night in Kelowna, British Columbia, two-time PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Canada Champion Dakota Buttar (Eatonia, Saskatchewan) rode supreme, going a perfect 2-for-2 to win the Cup Series’ Okanagan Challenge, presented by Dirty Diesel Customs, inside Prospera Place.

The win marked Buttar’s first of the season across all levels of competition and allowed him to further his stronghold on the No. 3 rank in the race for the 2026 PBR Canada Championship and accompanying $100,000 bonus.  

As action got underway in Round 1, Buttar took on Bad Magic (W Sunrise). Remaining in perfect time with the animal athlete, Buttar reached the requisite 8 for 85.4 points to split the round win.

With the first pick in the championship round bull draft, the veteran contender elected to go head-to-head with God Bless (W Sunrise). In a decision which proved dividends, Buttar rode the bull for an event-best 88.2 points to win the PBR Okanagan Challenge in walk off form.

Courtesy of the golden finish, Buttar earned a crucial 131 national points as he chases his record tying third national title this November. While he remained No. 3 in the standings, he closed within 499.33 points of No. 1 Nick Tetz (Calgary, Alberta).

Tetz finished fourth Thursday night, collecting 38 national points.

After riding Cracker Jack (W Sunrise) for 85.3 points in Round 1, Tetz was bucked off by Stray Bucks (S&M Bucking Bulls) in an uncharacteristic 4.01 seconds in the championship round.

At the conclusion of the seventh Cup Series event of 2026, Tetz leads No. 2 Gilmar Santana (Ouro Preto, Brazil) by 374.33 points.

Santana prevented Tetz from gaining further ground by delivering a fifth-place finish of his own inside Prospera Place.

The surging Brazilian covered The Goat (Legend Rodeo) for 83.7 points in Round 1 but was tossed by Rank Frank (Legend Rodeo) in 5.05 seconds in the final round. The 1-for-2 showing netted Santana 32 national points.

Returning to the top of the event leaderboard, Lonnie West (Cadogan, Alberta) finished second as the only other rider to go a flawless 2-for-2.

West rode Im A Playa (Legend Rodeo) for 84.5 points in Round 1, and King Pin (Kinky Buckers) for 87.9 points in the final round.

Leaving British Columbia with 84 national points, West surged from No. 22 to No. 15 in the national standings.

Rounding out the Top 5 in third was Griffin Koester (Rockyford, Alberta).

Koester tied for the Round 1 win alongside Buttar after he delivered a matching 84.5-point effort atop Knot Head (Wilson Rodeo). The Albertan, however, was denied a shot at the win when he was tossed by Snow Day (Legend Rodeo) in a swift 2.04 seconds in the final round.

Garnering 59 national points for the bronze showing, Koester rose from No. 8 to No. 6 in Canada. He is now 640.83 points behind No. 1 Tetz.

In the bull pen, Dirty Habits (Legend Rodeo) bucked a cut above the rest, crowned the YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Event. The powerful bovine athlete was scored an unrivaled 44.1 points in the championship round for his 5.57 seconds of work against Jordan Hansen (Amisk, Alberta).  

Following a roughly two-month break, the 2026 PBR Canada Sup Series will next travel to Grande Prairie, Alberta, and Bonnetts Energy Centre for the PBR Peace Country Invitational on Saturday, September 26. Action will get underway at 7 p.m. MT.   Tickets are still available and can be purchased online at BonnettsEnergyCentre.com, and by phone at (780) 538-0387.

Stay tuned in to PBRCanada.com and follow the tour on Facebook (PBR Canada), X (@PBRCanada), and Instagram (@PBRCanada) for the latest results, news, stats and more.

PBR Canada Cup Series
PBR Okanagan Challenge, presented by Dirty Diesel Customs
Prospera Place – Kelowna, British Columbia
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2- Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Dakota Buttar, 85.4-88.2-173.60-131 Points.
2. Lonnie West, 84.5-87.9-172.40-84 Points.
3. Griffin Koester, 85.4-0-85.40-59 Points.
4. Nick Tetz, 85.3-0-85.30-38 Points.
5. Gilmar Santana, 83.7-0-83.70-32 Points.
6. Koltin Hevalow, 81.4-0-81.40-26 Points.
7. Westen Wade, 81.1-0-81.10-19 Points.
Jordan Hansen, 0-0-0.00
Jayden Roy, 0-0-0.00
Garrett Green, 0-0-0.00
Francisco Costa, 0-0-0.00
Chanse Switzer, 0-0-0.00
Coy Robbins, 0-0-0.00
Ashton Sahli, 0-0-0.00
Tanner Eno, 0-0-0.00
Weston Davidson, 0-0-0.00
Tyler Craig, 0-0-0.00
Brock Radford, 0-0-0.00
Cauy Schmidt, 0-0-0.00
Austin Paley, 0-0-0.00
Eric O'Flynn, 0-0-0.00
Jett Lambert, 0-0-0.00
Lucas Dunand, 0-0-0.00
Tyler Ewart, 0-0-0.00
Kayden Budde, 0-0-0.00

2026 PBR Canada National Standings
(Place, Rider, Events, Wins, Top 5's, Points, Total Winnings)
1. Nick Tetz, 23, 6, 13, 992.83, $81,028.92
2. Gilmar Santana, 18, 3, 10, 618.50, $46,150.31
3. Dakota Buttar, 21, 1, 6, 493.50, $30,655.50
4. Jordan Hansen, 11, 1, 4, 360.00, $23,251.25
5. Jeremy Maisonneuve, 7, 2, 5, 352.50, $28,120.00
6. Griffin Koester, 14, 0, 5, 352.00, $26,156.00
7. Cody Coverchuk, 19, 0, 4, 326.67, $17,264.50
8. Jayden Roy, 12, 1, 4, 312.00, $22,965.83
9. Garrett Green, 10, 0, 4, 291.00, $15,395.42
10. Francisco Costa, 18, 1, 3, 285.17, $16,278.75
11. Marshall Senger, 20, 1, 5, 281.00, $14,586.38
12. Trinity Bear, 15, 0, 4, 254.50, $17,517.44
13. Aaron Roy, 18, 0, 5, 238.00, $12,447.15
14. Chanse Switzer, 19, 1, 3, 216.33, $13,175.71
15. Lonnie West, 18, 1, 2, 213.00, $17,085.00
16. Coy Robbins, 14, 0, 3, 195.50, $10,817.50
17. Ashton Sahli, 19, 1, 2, 186.00, $11,764.88
18. Tanner Eno, 19, 1, 1, 178.50, $11,865.00
19. Grady Young, 3, 1, 2, 150.00, $10,200.00
20. Weston Davidson, 17, 0, 1, 144.50, $9,018.75
21. Tyler Craig, 20, 0, 2, 140.00, $8,899.38
22. Stefan Tonita, 8, 1, 2, 136.00, $8,237.81
23. Jhett Wheeler, 4, 0, 3, 122.83, $6,213.50
24. Marco Rizzo, 5, 0, 3, 120.00, $6,268.75
25. Macaulie Leather, 3, 1, 2, 117.00, $9,739.58
26. Eli Vastbinder, 5, 1, 1, 109.00, $7,437.50
27. Jake Gardner, 4, 0, 2, 92.50, $5,385.00
28. Brock Radford, 11, 0, 2, 88.00, $3,570.00
29. Dusty Golden, 11, 0, 1, 63.00, $1,368.50
30. Andy Guzman, 1, 0, 1, 57.00, $4,200.00
31. Jack Mitchell, 5, 0, 1, 51.00, $2,939.58
32. Daniel Keeping, 1, 0, 1, 48.00, $1,710.00
32. Cauy Schmidt, 11, 0, 1, 48.00, $2,550.00
34. Austin Paley, 19, 0, 1, 44.00, $3,187.50
35. Westen Wade, 7, 0, 0, 42.50, $1,425.00
36. Tyler Villarreal, 15, 0, 0, 37.00, $1,192.13
37. Eric O'Flynn, 5, 0, 0, 36.67, $630.00
38. Dalton Allred, 3, 0, 0, 34.00, $2,135.00
39. Wacey Schalla, 2, 0, 0, 33.00, $1,890.00
40. Marcelo De Souza Dias Junior, 5, 0, 1, 28.00, $2,921.88
41. Chase Skene, 2, 0, 1, 27.00, $1,264.38
42. Koltin Hevalow, 1, 0, 0, 26.00, $900.00
42. Tanner Skene, 5, 0, 0, 26.00, $637.50
44. Jett Lambert, 8, 0, 1, 25.00, $1,275.00
45. Dusty Glenn, 8, 0, 1, 24.00, $714.00