The live TV sports lineup for the first weekend in March starts in the octagon as ESPN Plus offers the UFC 285 pay-per-view s event, pitting former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones against Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight championship.
Jones, arguably one of the most successful mixed martial arts fighters in history, is seeking to become the eighth UFC fighter to win undisputed titles in two weight classes.
In the ring, Showtime on Saturday will offer a boxing card featuring a featherweight championship bout between Brandon Figueroa and Mark Magsayo.
In other sports, ABC will offer weekend NBA coverage including a Saturday night primetime matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks and a Sunday doubleheader featuring the Phoenix Suns-Dallas Mavericks and Golden State-Los Angeles Lakers games. ESPN will also offer a Sunday NBA doubleheader action with New York Knicks-Boston Celtics and Memphis Grizzlies-Los Angeles Clippers.
ABC will drop the puck on NHL action Saturday with its New York Rangers-Boston Bruins telecast, while on Sunday TNT airs the Tampa Bay Lightning-Carolina Hurricanes contest.
NBC and Golf Channel will offer weekend coverage of the Arnold Palmer Invitational pro golf tournament, while Fox on Sunday will televise the Pennzoil 400 NASCAR Cup auto race.
The men’s college basketball season enters its final week as the March Madness NCAA college basketball tournament fast approaches. Top-ranked teams in action on Saturday include second-ranked Alabama against Texas A&M on CBS, third-ranked Kansas against No. 9 Texas on ESPN, and fourth-ranked UCLA hosting No. 8 Arizona on ESPN. On Sunday, top-ranked Houston battles Memphis on CBS.
On the soccer field, Fox and Apple TV Plus on Saturday will offer Major League Soccer action as the Portland Timbers meet LAFC. USA, Peacock, and NBC will carry a combined 10 Premier League games over the weekend. ■
