Bottom line of this discussion is, the guy who is able to put his game on the other guy first, ends up on top. Literally.
You last two guys posting about how grapplers can mess you up, thank you, I resemble that remark -- but without the intentional and bad attitude to try to break the training p[artner. That's no fun, you only get to practice the technique 2 times. Once on left side, once on the right. J/K !!
Y'all know this discussion has been going on for a long, long time, right? My first exposure to it was some MA rag mag back when I was... I think 7 years old. Something like Black Belt, but I can't remember if that was it or not, BB may not have even been in publishing then... that was 1975. I remember back then reading through a picture article of "Karate vs. Judo... Which is More Effective?" Yes, one of those... Anyway, they got no farther than anyone has in the years since trying to nail this one down. It's not chicken and egg theory, but the logical circle is similar. If I do then he can do and then I can do but that means he can do which lets me do etc. etc. etc. I would bet you that back in Ancient (Insert old country of choice here) folks had these same discussions and the same sort of ego-based conversations ot started and blood was spilled, even if it was only a bloody nose from someone popping somebody else -- without actually resolving the issue.
I'm going into my 20th year after switching primarily to grappling stuff..., and I did striking stuff for 25 years as well (overlap of about 10 years in there), I'm not 80). The reason for this is simple... joints start bothering ya at age 35, no clue why, but there it is. Practicing grappling stuff (practicing correctly, mind ya) is easier on the body than hard-core training of the striking stuff. And, we all know it at least as effective if you need it to defend yourself or a loved one(s). I absolutely love my aikijutsu, it's quite elgant... and very, very nasty in that elegant way.
The above mess being said, grappling arts have one huge whole, and it's a hard one to get around unless you don't "engage" at all (e.g. aikido movement, stuff like that). Against more than one opponent, it can put you in a very bad situation if you get tangled up witht he first guy and let the other guy get behind, beside, on top of you while you are tied up. Granted, you are pulling off wings and hitting the first guy with the planet and very rapidly lowering the odds (hopefully) but the other guy still has the opening for a free shot, and in my opinion, that's bad. Much better to be range-defensive (movement based stuff, and I put arts like TKD and aikido in here together in this, as odd as that sounds, having done both, the movements skills (NOT the stances, Ack!) are quite parallel when facing a baddie.
Personally, if faced with a single bad guy (but we always train ther's never a single bad guy, right... at least, you should be if you are a self-defense school/training) then I'd not be averse to going tot he ground and giggling while I wait for the cops to show up, not even trying to "win" just keeping the situation under control. Grapplers can do that, strikers can't.
But.... more than one? They get the catalog, probably starting out witht he Thai-boxing to the first one to get within range and the Hapkido after that, along witht he street-do learned by bouncing for a bit (it is just NOT the same outside the club as inside the dojo, you guys).
Man, it's early in the morning and I must be feeling loquacious to have posted this novella already. Apologies!