Does anyone celebrate the Super Bowl?
-MAN: (whoops) Football! -You damn straight.
Greatest sporting event ever.
I love it.
Yeah. Uh...
The Super Bowl halftime show is trending today because
they revealed the lineup.
It's gonna be Kendrick Lamar--
halftime show, not playing in the game--
Kendrick Lamar is gonna be there,
Eminem is gonna be there,
Dr. Dre's gonna be there,
Snoop Dogg's gonna be there,
Mary J. Blige is gonna be there.
It's gonna be the dopest halftime performance
of all time. It's also gonna be
one of the quietest halftime performances
of all time. 'Cause it's network television.
They're gonna spend half the time
censoring all of those songs.
Can you imagine? Like, what's the point of that?
Eminem's gonna come out,
♪ Let me tell you 'bout the... and the... ♪
♪ And the... oh, but the... let... and the... ♪
♪ Or... ♪ Over to you, Snoop!"
♪ La-la-la-la-la, it's the mother... ♪
♪ Snoop Dogg, my... ♪
Everyone's gonna be sitting at home like,
"What the hell's going on with my TV?
Something's wrong."
"Some-- um, all these... (stammers)"
And then Mary J Blige will sing and people will be like,
"She was amazing."
It would be funny if she just, like, surprised people.
"Let's get it (bleep) pumping!"
No, Mary!
-♪ ♪ -ANNOUNCER: Coming to you from the heart of Times Square
in New York City, the only city in America,
it's The Daily Show.
Tonight,
Millennial M&M's.
Voting rights gets Manchin.
and Francis Ngannou.
This is The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.
Hey! What's going on, everybody?
Welcome to The Daily Show. I'm Trevor Noah.
Let's jump straight into today's headlines.
♪ ♪
We kick things off with the COVID vaccine.
It's the reason you no longer think "heroin"
when you see the syringe emoji.
Personally, I believe that everyone should get the vaccine.
I mean, except maybe Superman, right?
Because he's the only one who's not vulnerable to COVID.
And also, the needle would just break on his skin.
Which, I guess, means that Clark Kent can't get the vaccine,
because then people would know that he's Superman.
So now he just has to pretend to be an anti-vaxxer so that
he doesn't give away his secret identity,
so then he gets fired from The Daily Planet,
so now he works for Fox News?
Anyway, the point is,
the federal government tried to make it the law that
all large businesses must require their employees
to get vaccinated, but last week the Supreme Court said
you can't do that.
And now companies have to decide
whether to keep those requirements in place.
And as you can imagine,
no matter what the companies choose,
they're screwed either way.
NEWSMAN: Well, two big-name companies
are taking dramatically different approaches
to the federal vaccine mandate.
Carhartt is standing by its employee vaccine policy.
The decision, though, has sparked some backlash on Twitter
with people threatening to boycott the company.
Meantime, Starbucks is no longer requiring workers
to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
The company decided to reverse its policy
that was announced earlier this month.
NEWSMAN 2: The coffee giant's decision
not to require workers to get the COVID vaccine
or test for the virus
is not sitting well with some customers.
People on Twitter are calling for a boycott.
Okay, before you panic, it's important to remember
that just because people say on Twitter
that they're gonna boycott something
doesn't mean it's gonna happen.
I mean, the company that people on Twitter
say they're gonna boycott the most is Twitter.
You see how that turns out.
And also, good luck boycotting Starbucks.
Yeah. How are you gonna boycott
America's number one bathroom provider?
'Cause, I mean, I've got principles,
but my number one principle
is to not go number two in my pants.
But still, man, the fact that people even jump to this
just shows you how polarized America is.
You can't even buy coffee or clothes
without it being part of, like, a culture war.
You bring cookies to a party now,
and people will be like,
"You got some balls bringing Chips Ahoy! here
"after what they said about panda bear rights.
This is an Oreo house."
Ultimately, though, these companies
aren't trying to make a political statement.
Whether or not to have a vaccine mandate
is just one of many decisions that businesses have to make
about what policies work best for them and their employees.
Most of the time, just for them.
You know, it's like how CVS
keeps a strict one cashier per 2,000 customers ratio.
And if you don't like it,
you can use the self-checkout that can never tell
when you've actually put your item in the bag,
so you need to call that one cashier to come and help you.
Those are your options.
But let's move on to some science news.
We all know that the surface of the Earth is getting warmer,
making life more difficult for everyone.
Except Superman.
Because, you see, Superman h...
You know what, never mind. Never mind.
But while we're worried
about the outside of the planet getting too hot,
now it turns out we also have to worry
about the inside of the planet getting too cold.
New this morning. Earth's core is cooling faster
than scientists initially thought.
Yeah, researchers made the discovery
while studying a mineral
found between the Earth's core and mantle.
Scientists say as the Earth cools,
it will eventually lose its magnetic field
and become a solid, uninhabitable rock.
While they don't have an exact timeline
on all of that, it's not expected to happen
until millions of years from now.
Yeah. Believe it or not,
scientists say that the Earth's core
is cooling faster than we thought.
And look, guys, I'll be real with you.
I didn't even know that the core was cooling in the first place.
You know, sometimes I feel like living on Earth
is like owning your first home.
There's always something new that's random and breaking.
And you just got a plumber coming in like,
"So, it turns out the pipes
in your light switches are leaking."
"I have pipes in my light switches?"
"Yeah. How do you think your lights stay hydrated?"
Now, look, wh-when I first heard
that the core of the Earth was cooling,
all I thought was, "Wow. Great.
Now we can finally dig a hole to China."
But it turns out if the core cools down,
the magnetic field protecting Earth
from cosmic radiation
will disappear,
and then Earth will turn into a cold, lifeless rock.
And I don't mean like Upstate New York.
I mean, like, really cold.
The silver lining to all of this
is that it's only gonna happen millions of years from now.
And by then, all humans will be dead,
and we'll all be living in the metaverse.
I'm living next to Snoop Dogg.
So I don't know why scientists
are even wasting their time with this, you know?
I feel like scientists need to focus.
If we don't fix COVID, I can't poop at Starbucks.
Finally, let's talk about M&M's,
the only time it's okay to say, "I don't like the brown ones."
When you have a brand that's been around for 80 years,
it's important to keep up with the times.
Yeah. Even Superman.
He used to wear underwear outside his pants,
and now he has a suit that's more like body armor.
Even though that's not really necessary
since his skin is already impenetrable.
But that's not what matters. It just looks cool.
So, yeah, M&M's have been around for a really long time,
which is why its famous advertising characters
are getting a makeover for 2022.
NEWSWOMAN: M&M making some rebranding changes.
Company leaders say they're trying to make the characters,
particularly the female ones,
more current and representative of their consumer.
Green has swapped her go-go boots for sneakers.
Brown is sporting lower, more sensible heels.
You're going to see our brand evolve in its look and feel
to reflect a dynamic and pr...
dynamic and progressive world that we're living in.
For example, Green,
you'll see her better reflect empowerment and confidence.
You're going to see Green and Brown together,
being a supporting force for women
who are throwing shine and not shade.
Okay.
I-I appreciate what this chocolate company
is trying to do, but...
making the green M&M less sexy?
I'm sorry, guys.
I refuse to live in a world
where I don't want to (bleep) my candy.
That's just going against nature.
And, also, who does-- who does this really help?
Like, were there women who identified with the green M&M?
I'm genuinely asking. Genuinely.
'Cause, as a guy, I know
I've never looked at any of those M&Ms and been like,
"Yeah, that's me, bro.
I feel seen."
Like, this whole movement is just weird to me.
'Cause I'm all for representation
where it matters.
But not in the things that we eat.
Like, I don't want to see KFC going,
"Our new chickens could be in your family.
Okay, dig in."
But I guess that's 2022, right?
Women will probably lose the right to an abortion,
but, on the plus side,
the green M&M gets to wear comfortable shoes.
Hakuna matata.
Oh, and they're not just updating
the green M&M and the brown one.
No, the red M&M is gonna be less bossy,
and the orange M&M will embrace his anxiety.
Which, I mean, I guess that makes sense.
You should be anxious if you're about to get eaten.
I know it's someone's job to think about this stuff,
but I feel like we're getting too in-depth
on these M&M personalities.
You know? Now they're like, "Okay, so the blue M&M
"was raised in a single-parent household
at the height of the Cold War, and his family..."
(bleep) out of here, man. It's a chocolate.
Just let me eat it and get fat.
All right, enough of that.
Let's move on to our top story.
It's about Superman.
No, it's not. It's about the midterms.
Which is just as exciting.
America's basic cable elections are coming up in November,
which is just five COVID waves away.
So, now's as good a time as any to check in
on how America's elections are shaping up
in our ongoing segment Votegasm 2022.
♪ ♪
Voting--
it's what makes America the greatest democracy in the world.
And if you don't like American democracy,
America will come invade your country to show you in person
how good choosing for yourself is.
And as we approach the 2022 midterm elections,
Republican-led states across America
are busy fine-tuning their voting processes
to make sure that they're even more perfect.
Take Texas, for example.
During the last election,
people were so frustrated by how many voting options they had.
They could vote in person. They could mail it in.
There was drive-through voting.
Too many choices.
It was so annoying.
So now Texas is saying, "Don't worry.
"We're giving you fewer options
so you don't have to worry about choices anymore."
Oh, and, in Georgia, voters were complaining
about how many convenient ballot dropboxes
were cluttering the streets.
Well, thankfully,
there's gonna be a lot fewer of them,
and they're gonna be a lot harder to find this November.
In Iowa,
they're reducing early voting
and closing the polls earlier on Election Day.
Which we can all agree is great,
'Cause who wants to vote after work? (scoffs)
I mean, that's prime Netflix time, baby.
Democracy can wait.
Now, all of these changes have just affected
the process for voting.
But some of America's most respected leaders
are also trying to fine-tune the process for counting votes.
And they're doing this to make sure
that the votes are counted the right way.
Allies of Donald Trump are trying to remove
some of the guardrails that prevented him
from overturning the 2020 election.
Now, according to The Post,
Trump and his supporters are pushing a plan
to place loyalists in key election posts,
from poll watchers and precinct judges
to county clerks and state attorneys general.
We have to be a lot sharper the next time,
when it comes to counting the vote.
There's a famous statement--
sometimes the vote counter
is more important than the candidate.
And we can't let that ever, ever happen again.
They have to get tougher and smarter.
Is that a famous saying?
"There's a famous saying that the vote counter..."
I've never heard that saying in my entire life.
I know I'm gonna get a lot of flak for saying this,
but Trump is totally right.
He's right about being tough.
You got to count those votes hard.
If you show any weakness,
those ballots are gonna take your girl.
And for Trump to say the vote counter is more important
than the candidate, I mean, that just shows you
how committed he is to ensuring the democratic process
goes the way he wants it to.
I mean, think about it. Donald Trump said,
"Stop thinking about me so much."
It's unprecedented.
So that's just some of the admirable work
Republicans have been getting up to.
But the Democrats
have been trying to make changes of their own.
And if you ask them,
everyone should be able to vote with barely any effort,
which would be crazy,
because then everyone would vote,
including Bill Cosby. Oh!
So they've been pushing their own laws in Congress,
and last night, they almost got their way.
We're going to begin with a major setback
for Democrats on Capitol Hill.
What would have been their landmark
voting rights bill failed 52 to 48
in the Senate last night,
with two Democrats joining all 50 Republicans
in opposing a rules change to push it through.
To no surprise, it was Senators Kyrsten Sinema
and Joe Manchin who helped Republicans kill hopes
for filibuster reform and voting rights.
Eliminating the filibuster would be the easy way out.
It wasn't meant to be easy.
Yeah. Joe Manchin is right.
Everything in the Senate should be as difficult as possible.
If Democrats want to pass a bill,
Chuck Schumer should have to carry it through a stage
of "American Ninja Warrior" first.
But, yes, Republicans were able to use the filibuster
to block the Democrats' voting rights bill
with the help of Democrats--
Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema.
Because you see,
those two do support the Democrats' voting rights bills.
They just don't support making sure that they pass.
Which, when you think about it,
is actually so inspiring, you know?
Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema believe so strongly
in the power of voting that they use their vote
to block voting rights for the entire country.
They-they were unvoting voting by voting.
So it was the right thing for Manchin and Sinema to do.
And basically, everyone loves them for it.
But as usual, there are haters out there who just don't get it.
If you think this bill makes sense,
and if you're worried about the future of American democracy,
and if you are prepared to vote for the bill,
then why are you wasting everybody's time
and not voting for the rule change
that allows us to pass the bill?
You know, it's like inviting somebody to lunch,
putting out a great spread and saying you can't eat.
This is why people shouldn't debate on an empty stomach.
If we're not gonna pass this bill,
can someone at least pass me a goddamn sandwich?
But this is just classic Bernie Sanders, man.
He thinks just because those two Democrats say
they support the bill, they should vote accordingly.
(laughs) Really, Bernie?
It's called "politics," not "logic ticks." Ha!
See what I did there? Changed it.
It was politics, and I made it...
Maybe if he had spoken after lunch,
Bernie would have understood how much sense this makes.
Because what Joe Manchin is saying is,
"I want to help you out of the water.
"I'm not going to throw you a rope,
"but I want to throw you the rope.
"And any drowning man would agree--
it's the thought that counts."
-Isn't that right, Drowning Man? -(muffled speech)
Can't hear what he's saying, but he agrees.
So, for whatever reason,
the right to vote has gotten people very passionate
on both sides.
In fact, it's become such a big deal
that they even woke up Joe Biden so that he could weigh in.
NEWSMAN: With the voting rights push hitting a dead end,
President Biden was asked
whether this year's midterms would be fairly conducted
and legitimate,
after many Republican-lead states enacted
new voting restrictions.
It all depends on, uh,
whether or not we're able to make the case
to the American people that some of this is being set up
to try to alter the outcome of the election.
It's never good for an American president to sow seeds of doubt
in the legitimacy of American elections.
The language that's being used is clearly concerning.
I thought that, uh, undermining our election results
was a threat to our democracy.
The last thing you wanted to hear was to hear
from President Biden that there are questions
about the legitimacy of the elections.
You needed the president to say "No,
-we've got the best electoral system in the world." -Yes.
Yeah, that's right.
Joe Biden needs to step up and say
that not a single other country in the world
has a better electoral system than America.
People in Denmark-- they wish.
They wish they could spend all of election day
sweating in a high school gym.
I mean, sure, that's why most functioning countries
actually have the elections run
by nonpartisan independent commissions, you know,
to make sure that politicians can't twist the voting laws
for their own gain.
(laughing): But I mean, that would just be ridiculous.
I mean think about it. You want the people in charge
of the election to have some skin in the game, right?
That's how you know it is fair.
Imagine how stupid it would be
if a basketball game had a separate group of people
on the court just to enforce the rules.
That would make no sense.
That's why instead, the strongest teams get
to decide for themselves whether they committed any fouls.
And that's why, my friends,
America's electoral system is still the best.
And why nobody should ever say otherwise.
Because it's not true.
And also, because even if it was,
it would be really uncomfortable to hear.
All right, when we come back,
Desi Lydic will become a famous TikTok influencer.
You don't want to miss it.
Welcome back to The Daily Show. A big challenge
of the COVID pandemic has been, well,
A, breathing,
and B, convincing people to get vaccinated.
But one place in America thinks it has found a solution.
Desi Lydic went to find out.
LYDIC: This last year has shown us that Americans don't trust
any authority figures anymore.
The government, scientists, doctors,
even the English language.
Maybe that's why we're ranked 46th in COVID vaccination rates.
Nice job, Mauritius.
But there is one group that can still convince us.
Social media influencers.
At least, that's what the
Guilford County Health Department was betting on
when they partnered with 41 local social media influencers
to spread some fresh vax facts.
Our communities are more likely
to follow guidance from people that they truly trust.
So, we decided to do an influencer marketing campaign.
But you're the expert.
Why aren't they listening to you?
Well, over the last year and a half,
a lot of individuals became
overnight public health experts.
So I think that it-it also depends on
personal ideology on who's an expert and who is not.
Yeah, I get it. Sometimes it's better to watch the amateurs
do the job rather than the pros.
It is just more authentic and natural that way.
Um, I don't think that
we thought about it that way.
LYDIC: And as a self-licensed juice therapist,
I am all about avoiding public health experts.
But why would influencers use their powers to fight COVID
instead of their regular No Makeup Mondays,
Throwback Thursdays and Froyo Fridays?
Uh, most of the time, I'm just talking about food.
So, it's like, you guys can check this pizza out
if you guys want to.
But now I felt like I actually had a role
that was beyond myself, you know?
So, the caption of that one just says,
"Hey, uh, I got my vaccines.
You guys should probably get yours, too."
Yeah, okay. But why are you wearing a shirt?
We just got to get this vaccine together 'cause we're a team,
and that's the only way we're gonna get back to normal.
Yes. That's it.
We've had a lot of cases
where medical professionals have looked aside
African Americans' problems that they may come in with.
And for a lot of people in my community,
it's just all-encompassing no trust in that.
But as an influencer, I can influence my audience
to go through the steps of getting vaccinated.
(chuckles): I'm like the sock puppet, I guess,
for those experts that they can speak to
that comes off a little bit less Big Brother-y.
A sock puppet. That's a good idea.
Get the vaccine.
Mm-hmm.
LYDIC: The influencers were obviously buying
the #VaxLife themselves,
and they've been spreading the word on their accounts.
But is anyone #Listening to #What they're #Saying?
On Instagram, I have nearly 20,000 followers.
About 2,000.
I have, like, 1,400 followers.
Basically just, like, a-a public account.
Yeah. I mean, if you're gonna take advice
from someone on the Internet,
a-are you more likely to take it from someone that you know?
It's a community.
It's not like a "I am Jesus,
and you are all my followers."
To be fair, Jesus had 12 followers.
-So... -Yeah, I do have a little more than that.
LYDIC: More followers than Jesus?
Easy there, John Lennon.
But is all this nano-influencing only micro-effective?
We believe that those particular influencers
connect on a more personal level with their community,
compared to some of the larger ones
that can have hundreds of thousands of followers,
that might not have that really personal
and intimate connection.
So you're using the least viral influencers
to stop the virus?
You could say that.
Okay, so how effective is this program?
Are we talking Pfizer-level effective
or are we talking, like, Johnson & Johnson,
it's better than nothing?
So we think that the campaign has been,
um, incredibly successful.
Within two days of that content being, uh, posted,
we have also seen the increase in vaccination rates.
LYDIC: That's good news.
Unfortunately, these micro-influencers
are up against heavy anti-vax propaganda
casting doubt on the vaccine.
How many of you guys are going to be among the first
to inject this experimental vaccine
that's been rushed into your arms?
LYDIC: And this anti-vax content is more infectious
than COVID itself.
With social media and other platforms,
it's really easy to fall
into this world
of personal truths.
So maybe the most effective way to clean up the mess
that social media has made is with more social media.
Like, a hair-of-the-dog,
when you have a hangover, and you drink more alcohol
to make it feel better. Or like, uh,
when you're trying not to catch a virus,
and you treat your body with tiny amounts of the virus
so you don't get it. What's-What's that called?
-Vaccination? -Yes, that's it.
LYDIC: If the only thing to stop bad influence
on social media was good influence,
I wanted to give our influencers one more shot at going viral.
-Okay. -(strums upbeat tune)
♪ If you're tired of staying inside ♪
I am. I'm very tired.
♪ If you're... ♪ What's that?
-I'm sorry. -♪ We want our people ♪
♪ To just stay alive ♪
♪ Now's the time to roll up your sleeve ♪
But it's itchy.
♪ Now's the time to go get the vaccine ♪
♪ Vaccine, vaccine ♪
-♪ Get the vaccine ♪ -Get the vaccine.
♪ Vaccine. ♪
It's okay. We'll workshop it.
We'll get there.
Thank you so much for that, Desi.
All right, when we come back, I'll be joined
by the UFC heavyweight champion of the world,
Francis Ngannou, so stay tuned.
Welcome back to The Daily Show. My guest tonight
is Francis Ngannou,
who came from a poor village in Cameroon to become
the UFC Heavyweight Champion.
He's here to talk about his upcoming fight
to defend his title.
Francis "The Predator" Ngannou, welcome to The Daily Show.
Thank you, Trevor.
It is a great pleasure to be here.
-You know, this is, this is... -It's a pleasure.
such a great experience for me, having you here,
because we-we have so many similarities, you and I.
-We are both... -Oh, I know!
You know, we're both African.
-Right? -Yeah.
You know, we-we both, uh, ply our trade in-in
different nations, in different continents,
And then also, I believe that,
according to the last statistics,
you and I both share
the strongest punch ever recorded in the UFC.
We, we do.
Yeah. They said when you combine our punch,
it is the strongest punch ever comb-- ever in the UFC.
Which is amazing. Welcome to the show, man.
This is-this is great to have you here, champ.
Thank you. And you-you forget
to mention other, mention other thing that we are, ah,
-you and I, we have in common. -Which is?
Which is, like, shock for American culture.
I think everyone has that when they come here.
-Everyone. Everyone experiences that. -Yeah.
What's the-what's the biggest thing that has shocked you
about being in America?
It's how, sometimes, they treat... they treat kids.
People complain, ah, kids complain on how they treat them.
-Right. -You know?
Like, usually-- When I was a kid, if I complained about
about something, I'd have a slap. Bop!
And here, they're like, "Oh, please, eat your food, Junior.
"Please, baby, eat it."
-Oh, man. -I was like...
I'm like, send Junior in Africa for two days,
When Junior comes back, he will be eating all his food.
-They will realize how blessed they are, -Right?
and they will be so grateful.
Yeah, bro. Like... (chuckles)
Well, let's-let's talk a little bit about your life.
You know, because a lot of people know you now
as the champion, the heavyweight champion of the UFC.
A lot of people know you as
one of the hardest hitters in the world.
But, man, so many people don't understand
your story in getting there.
Like, you know, it's almost like winning the championship
was one of the easiest things in your life
because of how hard your life was.
You know, you grew up in Cameroon.
You lived a really tough life
where, you know, you were living with different families.
You were separated from your mother.
Then you were reunited.
And, I mean, at the age of 11,
i-if-if my research is correct,
you were working in a stone quarry.
Yeah. Uh, in the stone quarry.
I mean, uh, it was, uh...
Ever since age of nine.
Nine and ten or ten, like... Something like that.
And we were... I was, very, uh, small at the time,
and those job was meant for adults.
But we didn't have any choice.
Uh, any... We didn't have choices,
so we have to go there and, like, beg for a job.
You were struggling. You couldn't get food in school.
You-you couldn't even afford to stay in school.
And at some point, you decided as Francis,
"I'm gonna work as hard as I can.
I'm gonna save all the money I can."
And then you made a really interesting decision.
You decided to get into boxing.
Wh-Why did you think boxing would take you out of that life?
For multiple reason,
they were always kicking me out of the school,
so I was the subject of embarrassment.
And, so, I was... I didn't want to be embarrassed anymore.
So, uh, therefore,
I decided that I needed... I need to do something
that gonna outstand me from all those kids
and so they can see that I'm not worthless, you know?
Then combined with the desire
of my reputation and e... and everything,
my love with, uh, combat sport,
that's when I came across with, uh, boxing.
And I was 13 years old.
But problem. There is not a gym,
boxing gym in the hundred mile-radius.
So how can I do boxing?
Nowhere.
Then after years go by, I left school,
then stay in the village a couple years.
And I-I was 22 by that time.
And the dream... That dream was still inside of me.
Like, inside, I was thinking about it all the time.
I decided then to move on to the city,
go and chase my dream.
You then go to Morocco. You then go to Spain.
You get arrested in Spain
for coming into the country illegally.
You still managed to make your way out of that
and go to France, where you then build a life,
and you really... It-it really is...
You know, what they would call it here is the American dream.
You know, that Francis Ngannou goes,
"I'm gonna make something of myself."
And you move from boxing to the UFC,
where you're now the champion.
And now it feels like the whole world is watching you.
I mean, Cameroon, you're a hero. You know this.
In Africa, you're a hero.
In the world, people go, "This guy is-is not just a champion
but he's one of the most dynamic fighters to watch."
You've got a-a huge fight coming up
against an opponent who is 10-and-0.
Perfect record.
So I-I would love to know, like, what you think
you expect or what we should expect from this fight.
Because it doesn't seem like it's gonna be easy,
even though you have some of the quickest knockouts
ever recorded in UFC history.
Uh, a fight will never be easy.
When you're going to fight a man,
you don't know what will happen.
You know, there is not a fight that, uh, is gonna be easy.
But he's a tough guy.
Um, he's a very good, talented, uh, opponent and...
very good contender for me.
But, um, you know,
the fact that you say something like "a perfect record"--
there is not a perfect record,
and I have seen 10-and-0 before.
-Mm. (chuckles) -He's not my first 10-and-0.
(chuckles)
And, of course, know what happened to those 10-and-0.
I mean, all your fans are behind you.
Everyone can't wait to see
what's gonna happen in this fight.
Um, one of the things people are also waiting to see
is what happens after the fight.
You-You're not the only UFC fighter who's come out and said
you feel like you should be getting paid more.
The sport is making so much money now.
It's becoming one of the most widely watched sports
in the world.
And-and you have said very publicly,
you said, "Guys, Francis Ngannou deserves more money."
I know this is the last fight that you've been contracted to,
um, in-in the UFC.
You know, what do you-- what do you see for yourself
in the future and what do you hope that the sport
will learn to appreciate from you?
Well, for the future, I see, um...
I see-- uh, I expect, uh, to have a-a better contract,
better contract structure.
Something that put me in the safe position, you know?
I'm doing a sport that is very risky
-and very tough. -Yeah.
And the sport is gerating-- generating money.
And I just need...
I'm not asking to share,
but I just need to have some respect,
to see that I'm worth it.
I mean, we-we need to grow.
We need to be safe.
We need, uh, um, insurance.
We need health insurance.
You are doing a sport
that you're putting yourself on the line.
You're hurt, and you don't even have guarantee.
And tho-- for those fighter
who have the minimum, uh, salary,
uh, they can't even afford a, uh...
to pay for their injury.
-They can't even afford physical therapies. -Right, right, right.
They can't even afford a good, uh...
health care. Nothing.
What I respect about you, as well,
is that you don't just want that for yourself.
You also want it for other fighters.
And-and you also want that for other human beings.
Talk to me about, like, what you're trying to do
and what you dream of doing in Cameroon for kids
who grew up in a world that you grew up similar to.
Personally, I know how I feel when I meet somebody like that,
when I have a chance.
I always look up to somebody like The Rock, Dwayne Johnson.
And recently, uh, he noticed me,
you know, and now we even chat.
I text, and The Rock texts back,
and sometime, he left me a voicemail.
And then, when I wake up some day,
just listen to it-- The Rock voice, uh, voice message.
You know, I'll go out there that day.
I work double of what I... I supposed to work.
-Wow. That's amazing, man. -Like, I'm just motivated.
I'm like, "Damn, The Rock just left me a message. This is it."
You know, the enthusiasm, the motivation
of that just message, you know.
And then I realize how... how great is it
to be in the position that you have that power
to, like, maybe just talk to somebody
-and change his day or his life. -Wow.
And, uh, I want to be the same thing...
the same thing for others.
Basically, knowing from where I came from, that's what we need.
We just need hope. From my experience, I believe
that somebody that has hope and self-believing
-is a successful person. -Right.
Doesn't matter if you have zero dollar in your bank account.
That faith will push you out there
and then will make you, um, a successful person.
Well, Francis Ngannou, you are a champion
both in and out of The Octagon.
Thank you so much for joining me on the show.
We look forward to the fight. We look forward to the future.
And hopefully, I'll see you again in person, my friend.
-Thank you so much. -Thank you, Trevor.
It's been a great pleasure to meet you finally.
The pleasure's all mine, my friend. The pleasure's all mine.
Thank you.
"UFC 270, Ngannou versus Gane" takes place January 22,
and you can watch it on ESPN+.
We're gonna take a quick break, but we'll be back after this.
Well, that's our show for tonight, but before we go,
America is facing its worst blood shortage
in more than a decade, largely in part
to the drop in donations since the start of the pandemic.
But giving blood is easy,
and just one blood donation can save up to three lives.
So if you would like to help end this blood crisis,
you can sign up online with the American Red Cross,
or you can call 1-800-RED-CROSS,
or you can find a donation site near you
through America's blood centers at the link below.
Until next time, stay safe out there,
get your vaccine, and remember,
earth is going to be a dead planet soon,
so have sex with your candy while you can.
Now here it is-- Your Moment of Zen.
♪ Yeah, one... ♪
One migrant caravan continues pushing north.
-♪ Two... ♪ -We're now told a second caravan
-is said to be forming. -♪ Three... ♪
There is word tonight of a third caravan
now making its way through El Salvador toward Guatemala.
-♪ Four... ♪ -A fourth caravan.
NEWSMAN 4: That's right. A fourth caravan of migrants.
-♪ Five... ♪ -Caravans to the United States
are increasing fivefold.
♪ If I ever believe our work is done ♪
♪ Then I'll start back at one... ♪
Well, it's happening again--
a massive new caravan of migrants heading our way.
♪ Yeah, yeah. ♪