[quote=@Caits]
Yes and what would winning a battle have got him? It wouldn't have proved that he was right and in fact it would have proved that he was wrong-that he wasn't willing to talk it out, and that the fact that they fought Marlene instead of talking her down was right. So. If you look at it that way, technically he is standing for his beliefs. 

He wouldn't have used magic if he stayed, he just would have got his butt kicked. He knows he's not that good at combat. And that would have just shown that Gabriel is weak without his spirits. This way, he gets to stick to what he believed in with Marlene and show that Hunter is in the wrong.
[/quote]

Except that's not how it works. Hunter isn't wrong, anymore than Gabriel is wrong, but they have different approaches to how they're presenting their opinions. Hunter even explained why he was wanting to fight. Winning doesn't show that he's weak, and neither does loosing. The victory in fighting Hunter would have been the pair gaining a better understanding between the pair.