Well it does depend.
I don't have a "fool proof" plan to defeat every tough guy out there. Tough guys are called tough guys for a reason.
But to answer your question the best I can:
Well I've been grappling for about 6 or 7 years. So I'm not too afraid to go to the ground. Especially since I've been beaten up over the years by extremely good BJJ and judo players. In the past I was more incline to take people to the ground, and ended a couple fights by doing just that. However these past couple years I've added more things into my training like training knives during grappling sessions, multiple opponents, and of course Dan's kino mutai stuff, etc. Plus, even though I consider myself a decent grappler, I'm not the best. I don't want to rush into a clinch with a guy and have him turn out to be a 12 year varsity college wrestler....
The RAT can end a fight before it becomes one. If you're talking about actual streetfights, HOPEFULLY I can de-escalate it, if I can't then HOPEFULLY I can hit first, and HOPEFULLY I can end it with a sudden blast (and not a pathetic "wheels on the bus" blast) aided by some knees, elbows, or a slam like ushiro goshi, etc.
But you never know. I might de-escalate the fight and no one throws one punch. I might hit first, slam him, and drop a knee on his head. I might have to use a blade (God forbid). I might blast him, headbutt, knee, and elbow....only to have him smile at me and knock my head into next tuesday.
That's the way streetfighting is......like I said tough guys are called tough guys for a reason.
The RAT can leave you open for a good wrestler if you're not careful (or don't have wrestling ability). This is why I train a lot of sprawling drills from the RAT.
If he's a good grappler, hopefully I'll be a better one OR I'll be able to keep the fight on my feet by sprawling and brawling.
I guess my "strategy" then is to have a good gut feeling for who I'm fighting, awareness of my surroundings and escape routes, and be proficient in all ranges of fighting. Especially the psychological one.
Hope that helps somewhat.
Take care,
Ryu