The Daily Telegraph put a large photo of Strickland on its back page Thursday with the headline begging someone to "knock this guy out." Du Plessis will give it his best against Strickland ...

The Daily Telegraph put a large photo of Strickland on its back page Thursday with the headline begging someone to “knock this guy out.” Du Plessis will give it his best against Strickland ...

This is the second title defense for the 31-year-old Du Plessis (22-2), a -210 favorite at BetMGM Sportsbook. He defeated Israel Adesanya with a fourth-round submission Aug. 17 in Perth, Australia.