('Best eva!' just doesn't have the same ring of authority when you say it through a bunch of gauze.)

Dana White posted this picture of a battered Phil Baroni to his Twitter account today, remarking "Phil baroni sent me this today and said 'welcome back to the ufc' phil is tough as nails!"  True, but he might also be a tough-as-nails fighter who's worried about losing his job, hence the subtle reminder that he endured this beatdown for the UFC's benefit, while only pocketing $25,000 for his trouble. 

If you needed a reminder that fighting other people in a cage was a tough way to make a living, this ought to do it.  Baroni has been in the sport for nearly a decade, and, after taxes, training costs, and management, he comes away with not even enough money to buy a new Toyota Camry.  That's ironic considering that he now looks like someone who's been in a pretty bad car accident.  Let's hope his sponsors came through for him.  Let's also hope that he's been putting some of that money away for his retirement, which might be right around the corner.

("Hey. My eyes are up here.")

The Ultimate Fighter's Darrill Schoonover isn't just a promising heavyweight with a minor drinking problem and disturbing tattoos; he's also a U.S. Army veteran who spent four years serving our country. Schoonover will make his official UFC debut at the TUF 10 finale on December 5th, but his long-term career plans just became a little more uncertain. As he explained on Shambala Sports Radio:

Damn, dude. Can't Dana pull some strings? It would be just his luck that Darrill wins the contract, then has to take off to hunt Bin Laden's homeboys — a perfect end to a season where the coaches don't even fight. Schoonover will be deployed for 400 days, and hopes to lose enough weight so that he can compete at light-heavyweight in the future. But no matter who he faces next month at the TUF 10 finale, he'll be in good company...

(If you ask us, that's worth 50 grand right there. Photo courtesy of the Toronto Sun via Fightlinker.)

We've already passed along the headliners' payouts from UFC 106, but now the complete salary list has been released by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, so we figured hey, why not share them with you people? The UFC paid out $1,301,000 in disclosed salaries and bonuses, with 57% of that total going to Forrest Griffin, Tito Ortiz, and Josh Koscheck. Check out the pay scale below, and keep in mind that the figures don't include income from sponsorships, undisclosed "locker-room bonuses," and cuts of the pay-per-view, or deductions for taxes, insurance, licensing fees, and tanning salon memberships.

- Forrest Griffin: $250,000 (includes $150,000 win bonus)

- Tito Ortiz: $250,000

- Josh Koscheck: $246,000 (includes $53,000 win bonus, $70,000 Fight of the Night bonus, $70,000 Submission of the Night bonus)

- Antonio Rogerio Nogueira: $170,000 (includes $30,000 win bonus, $70,000 Knockout of the Night bonus)

(Though they were locked in a tender embrace, Forrest couldn't fight the feeling that they were slowly drifting apart. Photo courtesy of SI.com)

The data has been crunched and the numbers are in. See who’s up and who’s down after UFC 106 with another edition of the Potato Index.

Forrest Griffin +73
Is there anyone who needed a win more than FoGriff? No robbery here, he took over in the later rounds and earned that decision. He continues to be the 205-pound division’s workman fighter, even if he’s still quite a ways from being in the title hunt again.

Tito Ortiz -82
As usual, Ortiz follows up a loss with a lot of complaining and a litany of injury-related excuses. Some things never change. Still, in a strange way it’s kind of nice to have our old villain back again.

So there I am at the Hawaiian Tropic Zone after UFC 106, relaxing, enjoying some adult beverages, when the Raw Vegas producer comes up to me and asks if I'll interview UFC Octagon girls Natasha Wicks and Logan Stanton.  Because I'm a sucker, I said yes.  Some interesting things I learned:

- The consensus opinion among the Octagon girls is that Josh Koscheck is a total faker.  This does not seem to have endeared him to them.

- All three of the girls aren't necessarily the best of friends.  Logan wouldn't say who the outsider is, but let's just say that all of the girls were supposed to be at this party and only two came.

- You don't appreciate what Dave Farra does until you have to try and do it yourself.  Then you just hate him even more.