Rodeo competitions beyond NFR make Vegas home

Without question, over the past 40 years, the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo has made Las Vegas the center of the universe in the sport. For that matter, each December, Vegas becomes the center of the entire cowboy/cowgirl/Western galaxy.

That’s in part because other rodeo competitions continue adding to the NFR experience, in their own unique way. The biggest among those is the Ariat World Series of Team Roping, which has been part of Wrangler NFR Week festivities since 2006.

From Friday-Dec. 14, thousands of team ropers — from high-level pros to weekend warriors, and everyone in between — will ply their trade at the South Point Arena Equestrian Center. Contestants are placed into appropriate divisions, based on ability/experience.

It’s no accident that the WSTR overlaps the NFR.

“We’re really about the experience. Having the World Series of Team Roping that same week elevates the experience 100 percent,” WSTR President Connie Gentry said. “And especially partnering with the South Point. That’s Cowboy Central during the NFR.”

In fact, the NFR overlap is so important to the WSTR that the massive team roping event regularly turns down a huge offer. Over the years, South Point owner Michael Gaughan has joked that Gentry could utilize the arena and all the stalls free of charge — if the WSTR was held the week after the NFR.

“Every year, Michael teases me about doing that, saying: ‘You know, if you hold it the next week, this event could stand on its own,’” Gentry said, noting she politely turns Gaughan down each time.

South Point general manager Ryan Growney recognizes that the NFR is a tentpole event, so he understands why Gentry declines.

“Nobody wants to come to the circus after the tent’s coming down,” Growney said.

That said, the World Series of Team Roping is a pretty big circus on its own. Huge, in fact. The 2024 WSTR had more than $18 million in prize money, with top contestants clearing $200,000 or more.

“Our footprint in Vegas is bigger than anyone else. We’ll pay out an estimated $20 million this year, with upwards of 5,000 contestants,” Gentry said, adding fans turn out in a big way, too. “We ran 130,000 people through our turnstiles last year.

“We’re the During The Day Rodeo. We try really hard to get done in time for the NFR, so people can watch that, too.”

Action begins at 9 a.m. each day, and the price is right, as well.

“We don’t charge for tickets. You can attend for free and watch a bunch of money being won,” Gentry said.

There are also two bullfighting events in Las Vegas during Wrangler NFR week. The Bullfighters Only World Championship is the veteran of the two events, now in its 11th year.

The 2025 edition of Bullfighters Only takes place Dec. 11-13 at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center. It features the top 12 freestyle bullfighters in the world.

To clarify, bullfighters are those heroic athletes — often in crazy colorful outfits and makeup — who leap in to protect a bull rider who’s been bucked off his animal. In the case of Bullfighters Only, though, there’s no bull rider involved. It’s just the bull and the fighter.

Joey Austin, CEO of Bullfighters Only, explained why his event overlaps the NFR.

“The NFR highlights the best in the world in every rodeo event. Bullfighters Only features the best in the world in bullfighting,” Austin said. “So it makes perfect sense to be here at the same time. Both events feature the best in the world.”

And there’s obviously an overlap in fan base.

“Rodeo fans are Bullfighters Only fans,” Austin said. “But we’re fortunate to have an even broader appeal. Anyone who enjoys action sports or UFC or anything else that’s adrenaline-driven is probably also going to love Bullfighters Only.”

Among those competing: Four-time BFO world champion Weston Rutkowski and current No. 1-ranked Chance Moorman. Austin is looking forward to being at the DLVEC, as well, with action starting at 2 p.m. each day.

“It’s our first year in an open-air venue. This is going to allow us to have more fans and a more affordable experience,” Austin said.

If you want to experience more bullfighting throughout the NFR, Ultimate Bullfighters: Last Man Standing will satisfy that need. The tournament began Thursday and runs through Dec. 13 at Resorts World, with a field of 32 bullfighters vying to be — as you might’ve guessed — the last man standing.

The event is in its sixth year, but 2025 is the Vegas debut of Last Man Standing. Echoing Gentry and Rutkowski, Kaufman said the overlap with the Wrangler NFR isn’t coincidental.

“This is the 40 th year of the NFR in Vegas. It’s been building for four decades,” Ultimate Bullfighters CEO Luke Kaufman said. “People spend their whole year planning a trip to Las Vegas and being involved with all the events around the NFR.

“There are 200,000 or more people in town, and only 18,000 at the NFR each night. There’s an appetite for events around it. You can cater to the other 180,000 people.”

Last Man Standing begins at 1:30 p.m. each day. The first round runs through Sunday, followed by the 16-contestant second round Monday-Thursday, then the quarterfinals Dec. 12. The four-bullfighter semis and the two-man final take place Dec. 13.

“The bullfighters are actually the stars. It’s good to give them a platform and an event that lets the world see them,” Kaufman said.

In addition, on Wednesday and Thursday, Last Man Standing includes a sanctioned Professional Bull Riders event, with 35 contestants.

“We’ve got 10 days of activations, just to be an auxiliary event to complement the biggest week of rodeo,” Kaufman said. “This provides something for people to do during the day.

“We want to bring value to the NFR crowd, just as much as the NFR brings value to our event. It’s a symbiotic relationship.”