It's very common to believe a guy shouldn't fight back. I've been in that spot in the past. All I could do was try to defend as claws came at me.
I'll admit that my lack of retaliation probably kept me out of jail. When police officers arrived and I was clawed up and she had no signs of receiving any physical attack, there was no question of my innocence. They even wanted me to press charges to have her locked up for a night, but I refused.

Regardless, it's wrong. Ray Rice went too far, but how much is a man supposed to take before stopping an attacker with force?