I tend to agree with TURBO2GO on this one. If you end up on the ground with no ground experiance or skill, you are finished and at the mercy of the other guy. Not a place I would like to be. Most fights in public and especially between unskilled fighters end up on the ground. Strength alone will not save you if the other guy knows what he is doing. Once in awhile the other guy will get a lucky strike in though, so it's highly advised not to take the path of the aggressor. Stay out of your opponents strike distance if you can and use timing and deception as needed, then use what ever your best offense is. That includes takedowns, strikes or simply running. Remember that after the fight you still have to deal with the legal ramifications. If you injure someone, you will likely have some explaining to do and most likley a civil challenge. Never start a fight, always finish with the least damage required and never act out of anger. Most people I have met who have started in any form of MA have done so that they can defend themselves primarily. After time goes by the reason changes to one of "honing the skill" and later to more of a way to stay in shape and sort of path to perpetual improvement, kind of like golf. As TURBO2GO said, after a year of MMA or BJJ it is unlikely that an average street person will be able to hurt you. That is without a sucker punch or a lucky shot. Learn all you can and enjoy.
" It is not what happens to us in this life that defines us, but how we deal with it"
It's a great time being there, too. Just checkout the video in my sig. 
