Thiago “Baby T” Salgado has been a rising force in professional bull riding since debuting on the PBR Unleash The Beast at just 19 years old — then the second-youngest Brazilian ever to reach the sport’s top level. Born in Naviraí, Brazil, Salgado comes from a true rodeo family. Both of his parents rode bulls, and today he competes alongside his older brother Adriano in the United States.

After missing the 2022 season due to shoulder surgery, Salgado returned stronger than ever, helping the Nashville Stampede win the inaugural PBR Teams Championship. The next year, he joined the Oklahoma Freedom, posting solid performances that set the stage for a breakout 2024 campaign. That season, he won his first Unleash The Beast event in Nampa, Idaho, finished No. 11 in the world, and helped the newly rebranded Florida Freedom to a fourth-place finish at the PBR Teams Championship in Las Vegas.

In 2025, Salgado played a key role in the Florida Freedom’s dominant regular season, helping crown the team PBR Teams regular-season champions. He was part of multiple perfect-game performances that showcased the squad’s consistency and depth, while personally finishing third in the MVP race with 35 qualified rides to 24 buckoffs, a 68.57% riding percentage. Known for his quiet intensity and signature celebratory backflip — a nod to his hero Renato Nunes — Salgado has become one of Brazil’s brightest young stars on the global stage.

Off the dirt, the Whitesboro, Texas, resident enjoys Brazilian barbecue and listening to Alan Jackson and George Strait. A man of faith who often credits God for his success, Salgado embodies the saying that it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog — and his heart has made him one of the sport’s fiercest competitors.