Warning: Spoilers for The Mandalorian season 2 finale.
Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) briefly engaged in a duel during The Mandalorian season 2 finale, but the latter was easily defeated. The episode, titled "The Rescue," featured Din and his allies as they attempted to safely rescue Grogu from Gideon's light cruiser. After encountering Imperial Remnant stormtroopers and a platoon of Dark Troopers, Din came face-to-face with Gideon in Grogu's holding cell.
To get aboard the Imperial vessel, Din, Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison), Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen), and Cara Dune (Gina Carano) first tracked down Dr. Pershing (Omid Abtahi), who revealed Gideon's location. Din and Boba then convinced Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) and Koska Reeves (Mercedes Varnado) to help on the special mission. When Din eventually made it to Grogu's holding cell on the ship, he encountered Gideon pointing the Darksaber over the infant. Even though Gideon claimed he would give up the Child in exchange for the weapon, it turned out to be a ruse. The leader of the Remnant struck Din with the lightsaber before the two dueled in the corridor.
Despite Gideon's use of the ancient powerful lightsaber, Din was able to go toe-to-toe with the man using his beskar spear. The Mandalorian then quickly disarmed Gideon, taking the Darksaber, but more importantly, he reacquired Grogu. While Din had been proven to be highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat, some viewers might have assumed he would have somewhat of a difficult time against a lightsaber, especially one of the most powerful in Star Wars lore. That said, Din does wear full armor comprised of beskar, which can protect against lightsaber strikes. On the other hand, it's very possible that Gideon was never meant to be an adequate fighter. He often relied on troopers to do his dirty work or surrounded himself with advanced technology whether it was weapons, ships, or droids. One further possibility is that Gideon let Din defeat him in the one-on-one battle.
Moff Gideon May Have Let Din Easily Beat Him In The Duel
Gideon acted as though he was fully prepared to fight Din and his allies, but he could have expected to lose had he faced the Mandalorian alone. By not giving it his all, Din would become the new owner of the Darksaber, meaning that it was once again being kept away from Bo-Katan. Gideon was fully aware of her plan to retake the weapon, but by allowing Din to obtain it, he threw a wrench in her mission. Din was prepared to give it up, but both Gideon and Bo-Katan knew it didn't work that way.
Essentially, Gideon followed through with the inevitable by making sure the Darksaber was still kept out of Bo-Katan's hands. The leader of the Imperial Remnant was planning to kill himself on the ship's bridge, proving that he was trying to cause tension among Din's team before taking himself out of the equation. Though it didn't work that way, Din and Bo-Katan will now be forced to deal with the ramifications of the Darksaber's new ownership. Whether or not Gideon was a suitable opponent, the outcome wouldn't have changed. Din has no choice but to learn what it means to be the rightful owner of the Darksaber when The Mandalorian returns for season 3.