10 Most Brutal Fights In Yellowstone, Ranked

Yellowstone is one of the most popular shows in recent years, and with plenty of vicious fight scenes to keep the fans entertained, it’s not hard to see why. The show has become notorious for having some of the most violent and shocking scenes on television. From vengeful murders to fist-fighting power struggles, there are plenty of situations the show throws at the audience to keep them on the edge of their seats. Taylor Sheridan’s series proves that just because the show is set in the modern era, that doesn’t mean that these cowboys of the Wild West are any less brutal. Just like the great gunslinging moments from the Westerns of the past, Yellowstone has plenty of brutal fight scenes.

The fight scenes in Yellowstone can be particularly tough because the show doesn’t shy away from violence. When a punch is thrown, the hit that lands feels real. Along with suburb acting by the cast, the stakes and tension rise because of the connection built with the characters. Having spent so much time getting to know them over the series, it’s hard to see them get hurt or even killed in such a violent and visceral way. These vicious fight scenes have caused some of the most shocking Yellowstone deaths in the series, leaving fans of the show always holding their breath during the next particularly brutal fight.

10, Lee Dutton’s Death and Kayce’s Revenge

Season 1, Episode 1: Daybreak

The shocking death of Lee Dutton in Yellowstone‘s pilot episode sets the tone for the entire series. It’s an entirely unexpected gut punch that changes the trajectory of many of the main characters, especially his brother Kayce Dutton, and triggers the events that kick-start the show. Lee died during a shootout at the Broken Rock Indian Reservation after John Dutton sent him to reclaim cattle. Lee’s murder leads Kayce to avenge him instantly. Kayce kills his own brother-in-law executioner-style in a cold-bloodedness that was unseen until now. Not only is it gut-wrenching to lose Lee so early on, but it’s a shocking reveal of what Kayce is truly capable of.

9, The Story Behind Rip’s Branding

Season 5, Episode 8: A Knife and No Coin

John Dutton’s “Y” branding represents a man’s commitment to the ranch. It commits their life to the service and protection of Yellowstone. Until Season 5, the reasons behind Yellowstone’s most committed branded man remained a mystery. The flashback in one of Yellowstone‘s best episodes reveals that jealousy was behind young Rip’s branding. After witnessing another man’s advances towards Beth, a vicious fight ensues where Rip beats the man to death using a stone. It’s a brutal and hard-to-watch scene that leaves the man utterly broken. As a price for his actions, John instructs that Rip take the brand, marking the moment Rip’s fate is tied to Yellowstone forever.

8, Beth and Summer’s Fight

Season 5, Episode 5: Watch ‘Em Ride Away

In season 5, Beth becomes highly suspicious of Summer Higgins’ intentions with her father, viewing the enemy activist as a threat to her family. While Summer stays at the Dutton ranch under house arrest, tensions bubble to the surface. The two women choose to settle their differences through a fistfight outside. Rip watches the squabble unimpressed; he asks the two women if they think they’re “going to beat the other one into respecting your opinion?” The fight is a nasty one, with all manner of wild and sporadic hits and punches thrown. Finally, Rip steps in and breaks things up. He instructs them to take turns hitting each other, that way they can both can feel and take on the other’s power and fury. It a memorable and highly vicious scene with neither woman wanting to back down.

7, The Bunkhouse Bar Fight

Season 2, Episode 1: A Thundering

When boredom strikes Yellowstone’s bunkhouse ranchers, they pointedly ignore Rip’s instruction and head down to the neighborhood saloon for a night out. When a drunken stranger makes unwanted advances towards Avery, Jimmy offers some not-so-kind words to make the man disappear. Taking the insult personally, the stranger grabs Jimmy, and all hell kicks loose. Quickly, the whole bar erupts into a brutal fistfight, and the bunkhouse ranchers are beaten ruthlessly. It’s a hugely dramatic scene with pool cues slammed against each other and men thrown over the bar. It’s definitely not a moment to forget, and so is Rip’s revenge that comes shortly after.

6, Dan Jenkins’ Murder

Season 2, Episode 10: Sins of the Father

Dan Jenkins seemed like he would be a more influential villain in seasons 1 and 2 than he became. Unfortunately, in episode 10 of season 2, a hitman hired by the Beck brothers breaks into Jenkins’ home and murders him. In his last moments, he calls out, “I have every right to be here. I have every right. I have a right. This is America.” His last words are devastating because it’s clear he was entirely adamant that he had the right to his success in Yellowstone. It highlights his inadequacy in taking on the true battle for the area, making his death even more brutal. He foolishly believed that because it’s a free country, he was free to try, but Yellowstone was never free to take.

5, Jamie Kills Sarah

Season 2, Episode 6: Blood the Boy

In Season 2, episode 6 of Yellowstone, reporter Sarah Nguyen threatened Jamie Dutton with a full exposé in her magazine after refusing to recant his statements about John Dutton. Instead of suing Sarah like John instructs, Jamie murders her – strangling Sarah to death. It’s a shocking twist and a harrowing scene to watch as the desperation and rage are evident on Jamie’s face. Later on, as Rip and Walker help Jamie dispose of the body, the weight of what he has done has hit him. He’s deeply disturbed by the murder he’s committed, and it makes the action all the more disturbing.

4, Ranch Hands and Biker’s Brawl

Season 3, Episode 4: Going Back to Cali

When a biker gang chooses to make temporary residence on Yellowstone’s grounds, the setting up of an enviable conflict has already begun. After refusing to leave, a fight erupts between the bikers and the ranchers. The Yellowstone crew ultimately wins, with Rip destroying the bikers’ motorcycles by ramming them with his truck. When the bikers make an unwelcome return, John and the ranchers force the biker gang to dig up and stare at their own graves as a warning for if they are to ever come back. It’s a poignant moment and a reminder of how brutal John Dutton will be to protect Yellowstone.

3, Kayce Dethrones Rip

Season 2, Episode 2: New Beginnings

Kayce Dutton is one of Yellowstone’s most complicated characters. His gentle and thoughtful nature, along with his love for his son and wife, paints him as a good character. However, it’s in scenes like the Rips’ dethroning that it’s made clear exactly what Kayce is capable of. When John’s medical emergency causes Kayce to consider whose hands the ranch will fall into, he challenges Rip to a brawl for control. It’s a brutal and bloody fight that leaves both men gasping by the end. When Rip eventually falls to the floor, Kayce reiterates Rip’s famous words, and one of Yellowstone‘s best quotes, saying, “If you wanna fight, you come fight me.” With that, Kayce declares victory as the new head hand.

2, Beth’s Brutal Attack and Rip’s Rescue

Season 2, Episode 7: Resurrection Day

The stakes between the Duttons and the Beck Brothers reach an all-time high when the brothers send armed men to terrorize Beth in her office. The dark and disturbing beating of Beth and the killing of her assistant are difficult to watch. The anticipation of Rip’s timely arrival creates an unbearable suspense that is only resolved when he hurls a chair through the glass window of her office. Rip’s killing of the assailants feels heroic after witnessing Beth go through so much horror. It’s one of the show’s most disturbing and violent scenes that, thankfully, has a cathartic ending.

1, The Bull in The Bar

Season 2, Episode 1: A Thundering