Monday Morning Hangover: What’s next for Andrei Arlovski after suffering fourth straight loss?

Another weekend of fisticuffs has come and gone, as UFC on FOX 23 blew the roof off Pepsi Center last Saturday night (Jan. 28, 2017) in Denver, Colorado.

For full UFC on FOX 23 play-by-play coverage and updates click here.

Plenty of fighters were left licking their wounds, including Julianna Pena, who saw her championship dreams go up in smoke after tapping to Valentina Shevchenko’s slick submission skills (video replay here).

So much for just being a striker.

And Donald Cerrone, whose four-fight winning streak at welterweight came to an end thanks to Jorge Masvidal’s impressive knockout win in the co-main event of the evening (recap here).

But which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now 48 hours removed from the show?

Andrei Arlovski.

If you’re competing at heavyweight, more so than in any other division, the chances of a knockout are seemingly around every turn, as getting clipped by a huge paw of any foe signals the end of your night.

Arlovski knows this all too well, as he has delivered these crushing blows and been on the receiving end of them, as well. Unfortunately, over his last four fights inside the Octagon, he’s been on the wrong side.

In the span of exactly a year, "The Pitbull" has been stopped four straight times, three of them via strikes. Granted, his crushing defeats have come against the best of the best, losing to current division champion Stipe Miocic, former title contender Alistair Overeem and getting choked out by longtime veteran, Josh Barnett.

His loss against Ngannou is just the latest setback for the former 265-pound champion, as "The Predator" crushed "The Pitbull" with a huge right hand (see it again here).  His recent skid is a far cry from the contender who stormed his way back into the Octagon in 2014, winning four straight bouts, getting close to one more shot a championship glory before his bad luck began.

What’s next for Arlovski is unknown, as the 37 year old Belarusian’s fighting career is definitely at a crossroads. Rarely has a fighter gone on to lose four in a row inside the eight-walled cage and held on to his job, though Dan Hardy was the exception, as he seemed to have a great relationship with former owner, Lorenzo Fertitta.

And while Arlovski has been one of Dana White’s favorites, there is no telling if the promotion will give Andrei another bout or have the dreaded talk with him in an effort to try and convince him to hang them up.

With the ever-present danger of long-term head injuries, Arlovski has a a lot to think about when he gets back home. After all, getting knocked three times in 12 months can’t be good for anyone.

Right?