contender (n.)

• battler
• belligerent
• blade
• bravo
• brawler
• bully
• bullyboy
• combatant
• competitor
• contestant
• disputant
• duelist
• emulator
• enforcer
• entrant
• fencer
• fighter
• gamecock
• gladiator
• goon
• gorilla
• hood
• hoodlum
• hooligan
• knight
• militant
• player
• plug-ugly
• quarreler
• rioter
• rival
• rough
• rowdy
• ruffian
• scrapper
• squabbler
• strong-armer
• struggler
• swashbuckler
• sword
• swordsman
• thug
• tilter
• tough
• vier
• wrangler