Sometimes, things happen very quickly. There are no pat answers for what to do in those cases.
It could be argued that training at escapes and deflections until they are ingrained reflex could be a useful thing. Helped me once, when I walked out the door of a Hooter's and avoided a sucker punch I barely saw out the corner of my eye. Idiot thought I was some other dude... I actually saw the other dude, though, and he was about my height and was not too far from where I was standing.
Look on the attacker's face when his punch missed was classic, though... I suspect the look on my face was interesting.
But I think knowing how not to take the full force of a strike, or how to get out of the way of a takedown, is a pretty handy skillset to have, whether one carries or is unarmed.
Lots of options go out the window if one is knocked off balance, or stunned, or floored.
Learning how to create some space could be critical to enabling a draw.
(Note, though, that these guys probably couldn't carry, anyhow; most states don't seem to allow CCW at sporting events.)
Bear in mind that being good at avoidance and deflection is not a guarantee, it just improves teh odds.
The best thing is to avoid the problem in the first place. For me, that means I usually don't intentionally get all that close to crowds of loud drunks. I avoid darkened doorways, give alleyways a wide berth, and try to stop my vehicle so that I have room to maneuver around the car in front of me.
And sometimes, even all that won't help.
Best we can do is work on improving our odds, so that such behavior becomes unconscious action.
