I think you will be right to choose to ignore him. He doesn’t affect your life in the long run at all, and you got what you deserve in the end. Why even pay attention to some random idiot in the first place?
To answer the question, yes, there have been many occasions when I was forced to sink to people’s level. It was been because I wanted to feel better, but because that was the only way I could think of to break myself free from their toxicity. Mostly it involved cutting tie with petty people who were so manipulative they would do anything to prove themselves right. I cut them off without any explanation, no call, no message, no meeting, nothing. I just suddenly “disappeared” for no reason. I ignored their messages. Any call from them would be quickly cut off because “I was too busy with life”. I just slowly drifted away from their life just like that. I know it isn’t right to part way without closure, but there are some people who just don’t deserve closure, people who always think they are right and will make up 100 reasons that I’m wrong about everything way and the only reasonable solution is to continue the relationship.
It just happened to me very recently. There was that casual friend I met in a private class. We became friends through my help with her study and she started to take an interest in me. We went out occasionally. She was much older than me and switched back and forth to various jobs before seemingly settling down to selling cakes at home. A few days ago we met. She asked about my job. I told her about my job and she seemed to be disappointed with my salary (she was just a casual friend so I kept my bigger plan and dream to myself). I said I don’t really care for the money because I’m fresh out of college and I’m still learning the way. She then asked what I learn from the job. I said some things and she still seemed disappointed. She then said that I was so naive because I missed the most important thing: how to market myself. All the other things I learned could be acquired in 1 month. She then went on and on about how she tried hard to research her cooking method and market herself, how she started working right from college to earn experience, how I had no experience because I work in a language center, something she thought would provide no life experience… The whole conversation turned into how I should live my life. Too bad for her, braggers and dictators are among the people I hate the most. I decide that this would be the last time she ever hears from me, because I could already sense from the conversation that she was so sure she was the better one that no explanation would turn her round. I’m so glad I wasn’t too emotionally involved in her.