http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhxDQgbuZ3o
The MMA fighters lost. A good "reality based" system that accepts "ding and dent" style minimal rules sparring would be your best bet. DBMA is one of those......
MMA is very one fighter oriented, spends too much time on the ground, and has stage set items (minimal clothes, barefoot, NutCup, mouthpiece, rounds)and rules. Look how much time they spend on the ground............. Without a cup some of those hold risk your nuts......... I would call them a good start.
Practise like with anything else is key, get as realistic practice as you can and move from there.
LOL of course the mma fighters lost in that run through the woods, try to defeat the multiple attackers scenario. as you said MMA has "stage set items (minimal clothes, barefoot, NutCup, mouthpiece, rounds)and rules.", what do you call that, a set stage, they've got equipment, theres no rules but they know their not in any danger (which is probably the best piece of knowledge as far as fighting goes).
The MMA fighters lost in the simulation (with set terms, items, environment) that the other guys train for? of course they did.
Heres a question though, how come Brian Stann, a marine, who was there, did just as poorly as all the other UFC guys, wasn't he trained for multiple attackers, harsh conditions, and weapons? He got the exact same training as the marines and lost just as quickly as the UFC guys without it.
You also claim that "reality styles" would be the best bet to learn for these situations, and then use DBMA as an example. Then you make a criticism of MMA saying:
"MMA is very one fighter oriented, spends too much time on the ground, and has stage set items (minimal clothes, barefoot, NutCup, mouthpiece, rounds)and rules. Look how much time they spend on the ground............. Without a cup some of those hold risk your nuts......... I would call them a good start."
How is that different than Dog Brothers fights at the gathering. 99% of the time they are one fighter oriented, most spend time on the ground, they have a set location, set date, set time, you know beforehand (even if its just the day of who you are going to fight, and often if its a more well known fighter what they like to do). Agreed upon protection is another issue. I've fought a few stick fights, I've seen more, and I've seen more on videos, you see people wearing, knee pads, elbow pads, shoes, CUPS, fencing masks, mouthgaurds, pants, etc....
Thats the same amount of protection if not far far more (Masks?) than MMA fighters go in with. You also said without a cup some of the holds risk your nuts, and theres two things wrong with that, one is that none of your holds hurt your nuts ever if your doing them properly, your probably referencing armbars, and if they hurt your nuts your doing them wrong. Well without a mask those sticks flying by your head risk your eyes, nose, lips.... does that mean you shouldn't fight with a mask on when you stickfight?
You also state as a negative to realistic training that MMA has rules, but so does DBMA (which is the example you gave remember). Everyones friends at the end of the day, and try to leave everyone with the same IQ they came with DRAMATICALLY changes the stick fights. How much can stickfights prepare you for streetfights or reality situations if they totally take out the aggressiveness, maliciousness, anger, and bad intentions that a real opponent would be coming with.
I'm not saying that what DBMA does is bad or wrong, not at all because I believe in it and am a fan of it, however I think alot of people are blind to the fact that stickfights are essentially MMA matches with sticks, more protection, and a few less rules. None of us are ninjas....