Movies News Talk
Since a heavier fighter always has an advantage over a lighter one, combat sports always have weight classes. Owing to this, since Jake Gyllenhaal's Dalton seems to be at least one weight class above Patrick Swayze's, he would have a clear edge over him. Apart from that, the original Road House movie does not reveal much about Dalton's past. However, as his fighting style suggests, he seemingly combines Tang Soo Do karate with traditional street brawling. His history suggests that most of his fighting experiences came from fist fights in bars.
Jake Gyllenhaal's Dalton, on the other hand, is portrayed as a former elite mixed martial artist who fought in the UFC. Before retiring from the sport, the remake's version of the character was among the best fighters in the MMA organization, making him one of the top athletes (if not the best) in his sport. His long combat sports experience also proves he would likely take down the original movie's Dalton with ease.
When Jake Gyllenhaal was questioned about the same (via Collider), he recalled how the original movie established that "size doesn't matter." He then explained that "due to technology and the advancements in technology," his Dalton would win the fight. However, as Gyllenhaal suggested, if the two Daltons were face to face in the '80s, Patrick Swayze's character would dominate. Taking the opportunity to quote another famous line from both Road House movies, Gyllenhaal also reminded the interviewer that "no one ever wins a fight."
Given how both Road House films are works of fiction at the end of the day, the answer to who among the two Daltons would win a fight remains a matter of creative interpretation and a viewer's bias. As Gyllenhaal, too, suggested in the interview, many variables and factors can come into play when two fictional characters' fighting styles are compared. While the comparison between the two iterations of the same Road House character can still be fun, it should not be taken too seriously.