Another fantastic week of sports has been and gone, with plenty of drama taking place after the NBA came back, along with some fantastic matches in the European Champions League and the hotly anticipated Rio Open in tennis. This week promises to give even more excitement, with plenty of rival clashes and matchups taking place across the world of sport. With that said, check out the most hotly anticipated clashes going on this weekend.

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NBA: Nets @ Celtics (March 3rd)

This weekend's NBA matchup between the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets would have been a treat for basketball fans if this had taken place a month ago. After incredibly strong starts to the season for both teams, the Nets trading both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant has put a spanner in the works for Brooklyn, falling down to the sixth seed and losing games left, right, and center since the trades.

The Celtics, however, led by star player Jayson Tatum, currently have a record of 44 wins and 18 losses, putting them in second place in the Eastern Conference. They have been playing with confidence and determination lately, winning seven of their last ten games. Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been instrumental in their success this season as they look to go one better than their Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors last season.

As we transition further into the post-superteam Brooklyn Nets era, this matchup will be interesting to see how far away the Nets actually are against a team that has been one of their fiercest rivals in recent seasons.

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UFC 285 (March 4th)

The upcoming UFC 285 event is highly anticipated by fight fans around the world. Taking place on March 5th, 2023, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the event will feature a stacked card headlined by a highly anticipated title bout.

The main event will see UFC legend and former light-heavyweight king Jon Jones make his return after a three-year layoff in a blockbuster heavyweight title bout against Ciryl Gane. Gane lost his title chance against recently-departed heavyweight great Francis Ngannou last year, and Ngannou leaving the UFC has made this fight a possibility.

Gane’s speed and technical ability for a heavyweight makes him a strong contender against Jones, who has never fought at heavyweight before. However, Jones is arguably the greatest UFC fighter of all time, and even with all the mitigating factors, it’s hard to imagine the 35 year old coming up short.

In addition to the main event, the co-main event will feature a clash between the women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso. Both fighters are known for their technical prowess and are coming off impressive wins, making this an exciting matchup for fans of the flyweight division. Shevchenko is arguably the best women’s flyweight fighter of all time, but Grasso will be seeking to show her skills and capture the title that she has been chasing for so long.

Other notable fights on the card include a welterweight showdown between Geoff Neal and rising star Shavkat Rakhmonov, as well as a lightweight matchup between rising contenders Mateusz Gamrot and Jalin Turner.

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Formula 1: Bahrain GP (March 5th)

The Formula 1 2023 season is about to kick off with the first race set to take place in Bahrain this weekend. As the teams make their final preparations, fans are eagerly anticipating the start of what promises to be an exciting season.

The Bahrain International Circuit is a challenging track known for its high-speed corners and long straights. With the new regulations for the 2023 season, teams have been forced to make some notable changes to their cars, and it remains to be seen how they will perform on this circuit.

One of the main talking points ahead of the race is the battle between the reigning champion, Max Verstappen, and the chasing pack, including seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton has won the Bahrain Grand Prix three times in his career and will be hoping to start the season with a win, but Verstappen has shown that he has the pace to overwhelm the Brit, and everyone else to boot.

Other teams to watch out for include Ferrari, who have tried to sort out their reliability issues of last season, and McLaren, who have the exciting young driver Lando Norris in the form of his career.

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Premier League: Liverpool - Manchester United (March 5th)

This weekend's English Premier League clash between Liverpool and Manchester United promises to be a thrilling encounter. Both teams are looking to secure a vital win to boost their chances of finishing in the top four, even though they have had contrasting seasons so far.

Liverpool come into the game on the back of a drab 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace and will be wary of a Manchester United side who have been improving defensively in this clash at Anfield. They have some strong attacking talents in their lineupm led by Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, who has been in good form this season, and will be looking to exploit Manchester United on the counter attack if possible.

On the other hand, Manchester United have been in impressive form lately, winning their first trophy in six years with their EFL Cup win against Newcastle last week. They will be looking to continue their winning streak and secure a crucial win against their bitter rivals. With players like Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford in their ranks, they have the firepower to trouble Liverpool's defense.

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Author: Dan Anderson

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