Word or phrase for weaker opponents

Question

Someone who picks opponents that are weaker than them, so that they can feel superior but they never pick anyone as strong or stronger than themselves.

Context, someone who brags about being an intellectual arrogantly, but only argues with weaker and dumb opponents to win debates while avoiding more intelligent opponents in case they'd be exposed.

I'm looking for a word to describe their target mostly or a phrase that cover this situation.

Words that come to mind are "They only pick on the [weakest link] or [soft targets]", but I still think there's better ones out there or better ways of phrasing this!

Answer 1

A single word for an easily beaten opponent would be someone who is a "pushover".

As an idiom (from the context of your example) it sounds like someone who likes to be a "big fish in a small pond". Although the idiom does not overtly describe the chosen opponents, it does suggest limiting the available "targets/challengers" to a small chosen arena by number and size.

Other idioms/phrases that depict non-challenging opportunities would be "low-hanging fruit" or "easy pickings", but these seem to emphasize the "gain to be had" as much as the "ease of the challenge".

https://www.thefreedictionary.com/pushover

https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/big+fish+in+a+small+pond

https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/Low+Hanging+Fruit