See the problem I have with this is that sure, you could take a coyote one-on-one. When is that situation going to happen though? Coyotes typically hunt in duos at minimum. Maybe you're able to get your hands around the first, but you're not going to be able to finish the fight before the second attacks from your blind spot.
A lot of people judge their ability to win in a fight based on their 1v1 matchup, when realistically you should base it on how many you can expect to face at oncem
I mean this whole thought experiment is based on hypotheticals in the first place. I never go anywhere completely unarmed and with my knife that I always carry I could absolutely kill many coyotes.
Many people also conceal carry which would probably change the matchup to something much larger like a wild cat. I know handgun calibers generally only serve to piss off large game like bears and moose so it would probably top out somewhere around a mountain lion if we are allowing what some of us normally daily carry.
Their bites aren't as bad as you might think. They can fuck you up, but they rely on pretty quick attacks, so the risk is more in repeated strikes(from what we've seen with the limited coyote attacks that happen).
Don't recommend going for a straight-on brawl, but if you can get behind one, you might have a chance. Bonus points, they're naturally pretty disinclined to fight a human unless given no other options, so you might be able to slip behind at a point?
I heard of a grandma taking a bobcat once, so maybe that?
The biggest problem is that most animals will never fight to the death. I could take multiple coyotes if I just need to scare them off. I could take a bear or mountain lion if all I need to do is not die.
Animals only have so much motion to kill you. Polar bears have few food options and aren't as scared of humans, while a lone black bear is more scared of you than you are of it. If you threaten any bear's cubs, they'll end you. However, apex predators rarely fight in the wild unless they have strong motive. They'll often claim and cede territory without fighting directly.
"take in a fight" assumes both sides will be fighting though, not just stumbling upon eachother.
If a small sunbear wants to actively fight me, they're like 30 kilos. I feel like have a nonzero chance against one. Not very much beyond zero though, because it's got claws the size of my fingers