Could a Dwarf melee with a Balrog?

[Pitchwife]

Originally Posted by BGreg

Maybe Durin's Bane was lurking behind the corners and killing single dwarves, so no fair battle occured.

That and some of the posts on the 'Durin, Nain and the Balrog' thread (thanks for the link!) made me visualize the whole affair as a sort of 'Alien in Khazad-dûm': long scenes of single dwarves, brave but doomed, stalking through badly-lit corridors, nervously clutching their axes, waiting to be attacked by the Monster lurking in the dark in the moment they least expect it... and no Dwarven Ripley to save the day. Having too few women does have its drawbacks...

As for Balrogs or dragons being the more formidable enemy, I'm not sure. True, the Balrog probably was more powerful on the purely spiritual plane, with its aura of terror and all that; on the other hand, it was at least vaguely humanoid in its physical appearance.
When I hear 'dragon', however, the picture popping up before my mental eye is something like an armoured tank some 20 meters long with a flame-thrower at the front - certainly a creature no sane being would ever contemplate engaging in single combat. With a Balrog, the same idea doesn't appear as quite as absurd on first sight.