Essentially, some guy was being a dickhead to a couple of girls I was at the club with. He had hit on them and got rejected multiple times, and resorted to pushing into us while dancing and just being a general nuisance.

I turned to him and just told him to calm down. He pushed me and I told him to turn around, move away and get on with his night. This is where he swung. I dodged his punch and grabbed his arm and held it by his side so he couldn't punch and told him to just go away, nobody wants to fight.

Then, his friends just came out of nowhere and punched me in the face, breaking my nose. I stumbled a bit but got up and pushed the guys off me and then other guys got involved. I went to get cleaned up then went home. Doctors said it's broken, will probably need surgery if I want it straight.

I'm not a fighting guy. I am very competitive, but I don't like hurting people. In sports if I'm frustrated I may get carried away within the rules (or slightly out), but I'm not one to throw a punch. My logic is, If I need to fight dirty to "win" I shouldn't fight at all - it doesn't prove I'm better than them, it just proves I can hurt them.

But I feel I should've just knocked him out even though I was far stronger, or at least punched him when he swung first. Is that acceptable? I think I tried too hard to defuse a situation when he was clearly looking for a fight. Though at the same time, I probably garnered more respect from the people around me by physically standing my ground after he swung, and not fighting even though that's what he wanted.

Thoughts?