Yellowstone is rapidly approaching its series finale–and things aren’t looking good for the Dutton family. Taylor Sheridan’s hit Western series builds up the Dutton family’s final battle for their ancestral ranch from those who want to take it from them. With more enemies than ever and fewer allies than they would like, the Duttons are in the fight of their lives.
Living on the Dutton-Yellowstone Ranch makes fighting a necessity. Every character in the series has been in a scrap or two at some point, giving each a chance to prove their fighting ability (or lack thereof). Over the last five seasons, some characters have shown their fighting prowess and others have proven how weak they are.
10. Jamie Is Yellowstone’s Biggest Wimp
Jamie Doesn’t Have a Fighter’s Bone In His Body
Jamie is the black sheep of the Dutton family. Adopted at a young age and raised with no knowledge of his true origins, Jamie slowly grew outraged at what he perceived to be unfair treatment on his father’s part. Eventually, he broke free from the family, though he kept finding himself under their control no matter how hard he tried to be free from them. In Season 5, Jamie finally makes his final break from the other Duttons–and it doesn’t go well.
- Wes Bentley plays Jamie Dutton in Yellowstone.
Jamie has never been a fighter, but his cowardice is what truly holds him back in any hand-to-hand combat in which he may find himself. Though he often puts on a cool and professional demeanor, Jamie is constantly terrified of being hurt in any way. While he does possess enough physical strength to kill an unsuspecting enemy when pushed too far, he is far too cowardly to take on any real fight.
9. Jimmy Hurdstrom Does His Best But Still Comes Up Short
Jimmy Isn’t Renowned For His Fighting Ability
Jimmy Hurdstrom joined the Dutton family in Yellowstone‘s first season as a ranch hand. Slow to learn and quick to anger, Jimmy often got on the other workers’ nerves, though they still loved him like a little brother. After an extended stay at the 6666 Ranch in Texas, Jimmy finally grew into the cowboy that he had always wanted to be and, though he honorably offered to continue working for the Duttons, eventually left the ranch for good.
- Jefferson White plays Jimmy Hurdstrom in Yellowstone.
Although Jimmy is a fan-favorite character, he still ranks very low when it comes to fighters in the Yellowstone franchise. He may be able to pull off a scrap or two, but he is more often left in the dust by stronger opponents. Jimmy is more of a lover than a fighter, making it a very good thing that he isn’t around for the Duttons’ final fight in Season 5.
8. Sarah Atwood Is a Different Kind of Fighter
Atwood Destroys Businesses (and Families)
Sarah Atwood is one of the biggest villains of Yellowstone and the worst threat the Duttons have faced in years. An executive at Market Equities, Atwood is turned loose on the Duttons when they shut down the company’s plan to build an airport on their land. Atwood takes matters into her own hands, working the Duttons from multiple angles to destroy them by any means necessary.
- Dawn Olivieri plays Sarah Atwood in Yellowstone.
Sarah Atwood may not be a brawler like certain other characters in the series, but she still knows how to fight–and she fights dirty. While she gets into a scrap with Beth in Season 5, Sarah is more adept at finding other means to attack her enemies. It is she who hires the contract killer to assassinate John Dutton, effectively destroying his family in the process. Although Sarah herself met a similar fate only a few episodes later, she will forever go down in history as the woman who beat the Duttons.
7. Beth Dutton Fights In the Business World–Most of the Time
Beth Has Gotten Into a Few Scraps of Her Own
Beth Dutton is John’s only daughter and one of the fiercest fighters in her family. Although she spent years away from the ranch, she is drawn back shortly before the death of her brother Lee, only to find herself tied to her family’s land for the foreseeable future. After the death of her father in Season 5 Part 2, Beth becomes the de facto leader of the Dutton family, plotting her revenge against the man whom she is sure is responsible: her brother Jaime.
- Kelly Reilly plays Beth Dutton in Yellowstone.
Beth is known for finishing fights in the business arena, and taking down businesses at lightning speeds. However, she is also known for getting into a fistfight or two. She didn’t hesitate to beat up a woman who flirted with Rip in a bar, nor did she shy away from a fistfight with Summer Higgins. Beth doesn’t fight physically often–but one shouldn’t take her lightly.
6. Walker Doesn’t Fight Often–But Can Hold His Own
Walker Doesn’t Know When to Quit
Walker is a new addition to the Yellowstone-Dutton ranch. A singer who got more than he signed on for when he accepted the Dutton brand, Walker has had his fair share of disagreements with his employers over the years. After trying to escape several times, Walker finally settled in as a ranch hand, becoming an integral part of Yellowstone’s supporting cast in the process.
- Ryan Bingham plays Walker in Yellowstone.
Walker doesn’t typically fight, but when he does, he is more dangerous than he looks. He proves this in Season 4 when he gets into a feud with the bigger and far stronger Lloyd over the affections of Laramie. Walker goes several rounds with Lloyd in a brutal fistfight that leaves them both exhausted but ultimately resolves any lingering resentment between the two. While the Duttons would likely still turn to Lloyd first in a scrap, Walker proves that he can hold his own.
5. Lloyd’s Age Doesn’t Stop Him From Scrapping
Lloyd’s Size Gives Him Plenty of Power
Lloyd Pierce is one of Yellowstone‘s best-supporting characters. A ranch hand who has worked for the Duttons for decades, Lloyd is one of their most loyal employees and a facet of the ranch itself. He worked on the Yellowstone when Rip was first starting with the Duttons and still works with new ranch hands to this day.
- Forrie J. Smith plays Lloyd Pierce in Yellowstone.
A man with a large and somewhat imposing frame, Lloyd is no pushover. Though he generally has an amenable demeanor, Lloyd has proven to be quite difficult to beat in a fight. While he is getting older, Lloyd can still hold his own generally well, as he proved when he went several rounds with the much younger Walker when the two ranch hands were feuding.
4. John Dutton Never Stopped Fighting
The Dutton Patriarch Was Always Fighting, But Not Always Physically
John Dutton III is the protagonist for the first four-and-a-half seasons of Yellowstone. The patriarch of the Dutton family, John is in a constant fight to keep his family’s ranch from falling into the hands of their enemies. A master manipulator and a powerful man in his local community, John is one of the most powerful characters in Yellowstone.
- Kevin Costner plays John Dutton III in Yellowstone.
John is a born fighter who never learned how to quit. He kills or destroys anyone who gets in the way of his preserving the Dutton family legacy, no matter the cost his actions might have on his humanity. Even given his advancing age, John wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty when he needed to, fighting his way out of several difficult situations over the years. Unfortunately, John Dutton eventually dies off-screen when he is ambushed in his mansion by a team of contract killers.
3. Mo Is Succinct and Systematic In His Fights
Thomas Rainwater’s Right Hand Is Dangerous When He Wants to Be
Mo is Thomas Rainwater’s right-hand man and enforcer, who loyally serves him throughout the events of Yellowstone. Even when Rainwater’s enemies begin to snap up bits of his empire for themselves, Mo stands beside his longtime boss and friend. He also grows to love Kayce Dutton, teaching him bits of the Native American culture that have long been lost to the residents of Montana.
- Moses Brings Plenty plays Mo in Yellowstone.
Although Mo’s screen time throughout Yellowstone‘s five seasons is limited, he has proven himself in a fight. He fulfills for Rainwater the same service that Rip Wheeler does for the Dutton, quietly taking out anyone who may get in the way of his people’s better interests. While he has a generally agreeable disposition, Mo can easily take out anyone he needs to.
2. Kayce Dutton Is a Loose Cannon
Kayce’s Anger Sometimes Gets the Best of Him
Kayce Dutton is the youngest of John’s sons, who spends much of his life trying to avoid the ranch that has been passed down through many generations of his family. In his years away from the ranch, Kayce married Monica Long, a member of the local Native American tribe, and had a son, Tate. However, he gradually finds himself sinking deeper into his family’s squabbles until he eventually becomes just as tied to the ranch’s fate as his father.
- Luke Grimes plays Kayce Dutton in Yellowstone.
Kayce may be a good man, but he is not without his faults. He has proven over and over again to be a loose cannon when he loses his temper. The younger Dutton is no stranger to fixing his problems with his fists, often punching out anyone who gets on his nerves. Moreover, Kayce spent time in the army, learning combat techniques that have made him even more dangerous over the years.
1. Rip Wheeler Is Unmatched as a Fighter
No One Wants To Tangle With the Duttons’ Right-Hand Man
Rip Wheeler is the Dutton family’s chief enforcer who runs the day-to-day exploits of the Yellowstone ranch. Once a directionless kid with nowhere to turn, Rip grew to be one of the Dutton’s best assets. Eventually, he officially joined the family when he married Beth, proving his longstanding loyalty to the Duttons in the process.
- Cole Hauser plays Rip Wheeler in Yellowstone.
With a cool head and a strategic eye, Rip is extremely dangerous in a fight. He knows how to take people down quickly, often killing the Dutton’s enemies with ease. No one wants to be on the opposite side of Rip when the chips are down, as he has a penchant for always coming through unscathed. Rip is the man to turn to in a fight, making him the best combatant of Yellowstone‘s main cast.
