Since Jake Gyllenhaal does a commendable job at portraying himself as a combat sports athlete in both Road House and Southpaw, it is hard not to wonder who would win a hypothetical fight between Road House‘s Dalton or Southpaw‘s Hope. When it comes to critical ratings, Road House and Southpaw are almost at par with one another. However, when their storylines, character beats, and overarching themes are considered, the two films could not be more different.

While Road House barely takes itself too seriously and even features hilariously silly jokes during its combat scenes, Southpaw delivers an emotionally heavy sports drama that dabbles with intense themes surrounding grief, trauma, and redemption. Road House also uses MMA as a narrative device to merely give a glimpse of Dalton’s UFC backstory. Southpaw, in comparison, portrays boxing as the primary driver of its narrative. Yet, despite these differences, one cannot help but speculate what the outcome of the hypothetical showdown between Road House‘s Dalton and Southpaw‘s Hope would be.

Southpaw’s Hope Has A Better Mindset Than Road House’s Dalton

Hope has better control over his anger

In Southpaw‘s opening arc, Billy Hope is not too different from Dalton. Like Dalton, he is willing to take several hits from his opponents before using his anger as a tool to win by knockout. However, like Dalton, Hope ultimately faces the consequences of fighting from a place of anger. While Dalton ends up killing his friend in a bout of rage during a fight, Hope loses his wife after his outside-the-ring confrontation with a rival takes a tragic, violent turn. With what follows, Hope’s career only declines as he struggles to sustain his emotionally-driven boxing style.

Road House establishes that despite learning his anger is more of a boon than a bane, Dalton cannot help but get riled up when someone like Knox keeps testing him. He does not learn from his past mistakes and channels his anger even during his showdown with Knox. Hope, in contrast, goes back to square one and fixes his mindset. Realizing his anger makes him more vulnerable during fights, Hope learns to control it and builds his defense. His ability to control his emotions during fights gives him a significant edge over Road House‘s Dalton.

Road House’s Dalton Is A More Well-Rounded Fighter

Dalton would likely win in a one-on-one street fight against Billy Hope

Time and again, crossover boxing in the real world establishes that professional MMA fighters do not fare too well against boxers in boxing matches. Even if they are known for their striking abilities, it does not necessarily traverse well to a boxing bout since, like MMA, boxing has its own nuances and specificities. Owing to this, even though the Road House remake’s Dalton shows impressive striking abilities, Southpaw‘s Hope would likely dominate him in a sanctioned boxing fight. However, even in a boxing match, Dalton may have one significant advantage.

In an MMA bout or no-rules street fight, however, Dalton’s versatility and experience in diverse fighting styles would allow him to outclass Hope’s boxing skills.

Despite taking several bare-knuckle punches from Conor McGregor’s Road House character in the bar fight scene, Dalton somehow manages to stand his ground and even fight back. With his strong chin, Dalton will likely not let Hope win by knockout but might still lose on points. In an MMA bout or no-rules street fight, however, Dalton’s versatility and experience in diverse fighting styles would allow him to outclass Hope’s boxing skills. Hope might still cause some damage with a punch or two, but by incorporating everything from grappling to submissions, Dalton would ultimately come out as the winner.