Hey AJ
If you haven't established a clinch on the guy yet, it's all about good handfighting to get into a dominant grip. For me, I try to get to either Double Unders, Double Overs or Over/Unders and have a series of sweeps off each one.
If you let them get grips on your legs it usually goes downhill from there.
If they grip your ankles to pin them, Arm Drag.
If they grip your ankles and try to lift your legs (putting you on your back) smack their hands either out or up.
If they post on your knees (either pushing them to the ground or pinning them together) smack their hands out or up.
As you fight their grips off pummel in for your own, then get your hooks in to work on off balancing them straight away.
If they manage to get double underhooks, flatten you out and crush your hooks; try to fight a forearm in under their neck, brace it with your other hand, drive their head up and away while sitting up and driving them away with your hooks. Then grip fight back in.
If you can't get your forearm in, wrap up their head with a guillotine (any version will normally do). If they try to fight the guillotine off, get to work with your butterfly's to off balance them, either getting the sweep or opening them up to grip fight back in.
If you can't wrap up the guillotine, stick your finger in their ear.
P.S Pulling up with the overhooks (kind of like a guillotine) helps keep their arms up.
If they can get access to my legs still, I'll usually work for double underhooks. Cupping the shoulders and winging your elbows keeps their hands up, and if I can join my fingers together (s-grip) or even gable grip, all the better.
(Double Underhooks with a gable grip right behind their neck will pretty much assure they can't reach your legs, but you have to have mad hand fighting skills to get there.)