UFC 214 results: Robbie Lawler outlasts Donald Cerrone in slugfest

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Robbie Lawler wasted little time giving the fans what they wanted in his highly anticipated UFC 214 welterweight matchup with Donald Cerrone.

The former UFC welterweight champ came out flying in the opening minute at Honda Center on Saturday night, peppering Cerrone in the clinch in an attempt to end the fight early.

But “Cowboy” weathered the early storm, and it was on. The duo thrilled the energetic crowd with an action-packed 15 minutes before Lawler got the unanimous decision. The judges’ scores were 29-28 across the board.

After Cerrone regained his druthers in the first following Lawler’s starting blitz, the duo engaged in a back-and-forth kickboxing contest until Cerrone scored a takedown and held top position.

The second was clear-cut for Cerrone, as he pushed the paced, stalked Cerrone, and landed the harder shots.

But Lawler usually saves his best for last, and he simply had more in the tank in the third. Lawler twice stuffed Cerrone takedown attempts and kept moving forward. And while Cerrone landed his share of counters, Lawler landed harder shots at a higher volume.

With the victory, Lawler, fighting for the first time since losing the belt to Tyron Woodley a day short of a year ago, improved to 28-11 (1 NC). He’s won six of his past seven fights. Cerrone (32-9, 1 NC) has dropped two in a row.

“I came out fast in the first round because I thought if I got on top of him, I could stop him,” said Lawler. “Obviously, that didn’t happen. He showed a lot of toughness and a lot of grit.