Arlovski and Kos Deal With Decisions Outside of the Octagon.

Cash or competition?

UFC Heavyweight Champion “The Natural” Randy Couture chose both when he told Dana White and the Fertita brothers where to stick his UFC contract in order to pursue a showdown with top ranked Russian Fedor Emelianenko.

Now former UFC Heavyweight Champion “Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski can roll up his UFC contract and tell the same triumvirate where to cram it…or not.

Saturday night at UFC 82 in Columbus, Arlovski TKO’d Jake O’Brien at 4:17 of round two to conclude his obligation to the premier MMA promotion.

On the same undercard, welterweight contender Josh Koscheck wound down his own UFC contract with an exciting second round TKO of Dustin Hazelett.

Koscheck’s performance made the PPV broadcast; Arlovski’s did not.

But, the two popular fighters are peering out over different free agent horizons.

Both are consistently ranked in the middle of the top ten of their respective weight classes.

With more quality MMA shows than ever before, both will undoubtedly be thrown more cash than Tera Patrick headlining at the Spearmint Rhino.

However, Arlovski has the additional lure of quality fights elsewhere at his weight class.  He can have both cash and competition in a competing promotion.

Koschek may have to choose.

Next month’s UFC welterweight championship fight between interim titlists Matt Serra and Georges St. Pierre is the pinnacle of 170-pounds.

But, the UFC’s parent company, Zuffa, has nearly wrapped up the rest of the division too.

Arguably, the top non-Zuffa welterweight is EliteXC’s Jake Shields, who hasn’t had a loss or full night’s work since a unanimous decision victory over current WEC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit in 2006.

Condit, as worthy a welterweight as Shields, isn’t an option for “Kos” because the WEC is a Zuffa-owned promotion.

Next?  Bodog Fight’s welterweight king “The Goat” Nick Thompson similarly hasn’t lost or heard the final bell since concluding his UFC run in a submission loss to top tenner “The Heat” Karo Parisyan in 2005.

Shields and Thompson are salivating for a real fight with Koscheck, I’m sure.

But, after bathing in MMA’s brightest spotlight for three years, would Koscheck take the money and run to a smaller promotion and weaker competition?

Andrei Arlovski is sittin’ pretty, no pun on his budding modeling career intended.  OK…pun intended.

Couture versus Emelianenko is becoming the most anticipated MMA match-up in history, is the pinnacle of the heavyweight division, and is shaping up to be a co-promotion between HDNet Fights and M-1 Global, no UFC necessary.

But, Arlovski could potentially undercut Couture’s big day.

Assuming Arlovski’s contract includes the same three-month exclusivity clause as Couture’s contract, that gives the UFC through May before Arlovski can sign with a competing promotion.

If M-1 Global makes a play for Arlovski in June, MMA fans could get an Emelianenko versus Arlovski match-up before Couture’s case even gets a Nevada court date.

Even if M-1 Global doesn’t sign Arlovski, Emelianenko’s agent, Vadim Finkelstein demonstrated at New Year’s Eve’s Yarrenoka promotion in Japan his willingness and ability to commit Emelianenko to fights under his fighter’s non-exclusivity clause unbeknownst to M-1 Global.

The Russian Emelianenko versus the Belarussian Arlovski at the ICE Palace in St. Petersburg?

The Slav world is slobbering all other themselves for that fight.  Honestly, I could use a bib too.

It wouldn’t interfere with the Emelianenko versus Couture fight in October, unless Emelianenko lost.  If he won, it’d be his first “W” versus top ten heavyweight competition since longer than PRIDE faithful care to admit and only throw fuel onto the Emelianenko v Couture fire.

But, hold on.  That’s just one choose-your-own-adventure, and there’s no intel’ suggesting it’s even likely.

However, there are plenty of heavyweight contenders for Arlovski to tangle with outside of the UFC besides Emelianenko.

Josh Barnett, Cro Cop, Sergey Kharitonov, Aleksander Emelianenko, Hidehiko Yoshida, Jeff Monson, Kazuyuki Fujita, Semmy Schilt, Antonio Silva.

The list of heavyweight vets and up-and-comers who could make interesting fights for Arlovski over the next couple of years is saturated.

UFC President Dana White announced Friday his intention to re-sign both Arlovski and Koscheck.  “Andrei’s a guy that I want, so I think we’ll get it done,” he said.

It’s no secret, however, White was annoyed with Arlovski’s last snoozer versus Fabricio Werdum.  Even before that, White expressed his distaste for Arlovski’s timidity since suffering a knockout versus Tim Sylvia in 2006.

Arlovski could leave a bitter UFC scene and return a world-beater in years to come, and for bigger dollars.  He benefits from the splintering of talent in his weight class.

Koscheck, however, is home in the Octagon.  Unlike Arlovski, he could stunt his dramatic growth as a fighter by leaving the promotion that made him famous.  “Kos” is better served competing at the highest level of his weight class in the UFC.