I am USAF veteran, F-111 (Cold War) then F-16 (Desert Storm). We have no problems with our egos being...errr...'bruised'...by any air force in some exercise where the rules are rigged against US, which often happens when we are invited.
Supposedly...After Desert Storm, the Indian Army Chief of Staff General Krishnaswamy Sundarji said: Don't fight with the US without nuclear weapons.
The implication is that conventionally speaking, the world's militaries are essentially at the mercy of the US military. And that the only way to fight -- not necessary win -- the US is to have nuclear weapons. Think about that for a moment. The fight in the air is not determined by turn ratio or thrust factor.
When I was active duty, I learned a very important lesson, one that continually escapes the rest of the world:
In a fight, you win not by fighting under your opponent's rules, but by forcing him to fight under yours. And cheating is allowed.
If you have a more powerful radar, then fight long range. If you can turn better at a certain altitude, then take the fight there. If you have a more powerful engine, then do not enter a turning fight. Likewise, if you have AWACS, exploit it to the maximum. Same with air refueling and logistics. Anything that would help your individual combatants win individual battles, you do it. Any advantage is a rule.
Untethered, the F-16
WILL destroy the MIG-21. And I have no problems putting my life on that bet.