Former UFC champion Lyoto Machida has accepted an 18-month suspension

RIO DE JANEIRO -- At times, Victoria Lovelady has to pause to take it all in. The Olympic Games are in her home country of Brazil, golf has returned to the Olympics for the first time since 1904, and she was fortunate enough to qualify.Although the mens tournament is being played this week at the Olympic Golf Course, Lovelady, 29, was on site to practice and play, one of the neat aspects to the event that saw a smattering of the women at the venue Monday.Adding to the experience was the fact that Lovelady was asked to play a practice round with Germanys Martin Kaymer and Spains Rafael Cabrera-Bello.Oh my goodness, Lovelady gushed prior to hitting off the 10th tee. When I found out the Olympics was going to be in Brazil and that golf was coming back, it became part of my daily mental routine. There was not one day I didnt think about the Olympics. I was finishing college at the time.My whole motivation to turn pro after college was based on the Olympics. I was ready to turn pro and pursue my dream of playing in the Olympics. Its been a huge goal for me.Lovelady, who played college golf at USC when she went by her maiden name Victoria Alimonda, is a perfect example of how golfs return to the Olympics has been an inspiration. Lovelady has yet to make the LPGA Tour in two tries and this year is competing on the Ladies European Tour, where travel is difficult and purses are sparse..@RickieFowler and @vic_brasil_golf hammed it up after practice round @Rio2016_en on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/nsz4MKsYxL- USA GOLF (@USAGolf) August 8, 2016But she kept after it because of the Olympics, and scrambled to earn world ranking points when it was coming down to the wire for qualification last month. Only one Brazilian golfer was guaranteed a spot in the field (same for the men), so Lovelady was not a lock. She was running close to the other Brazilian golfer in the womens field, Miriam Nagl, and in the end they both made it.It was a super adventure, said Lovelady, who will begin the competition on Aug. 17. All because of the importance I gave to the Olympics being in Brazil, golf coming back to my country. I dont know what Id be doing with myself right now if I wasnt here. For the past year, every day somebody asked me, Are you going to the Olympics? I thought, My God, Ive got to be there. Not only for my personal goal but also the whole vibe around me. And being one of the only Brazilians on tour. That topic was a hot question.Lovelady took up golf at age 12 due to the influence of her grandfather and father, who was the rare person in Brazil who was a member of a private club. She earned a scholarship to USC after spending time in California as an exchange student, where I was able to study and play golf at the same time, she said. Brazil has some 200 million people but only about 20,000 golfers. You have to have a golf tradition in your family, she noted, something Lovelady said she hopes the Olympics will help change.The Olympic Golf Course, which she described as one of the best courses Ive played in my life, is the first public course ever in Rio. The course is brand-new and was built especially for then Games. How it is treated, and how the public has access to it after the Olympics, will go a long way toward more people becoming interested in the game.There will be more curiosity, more access, she said. I hope it opens up more opportunities.For now, Lovelady is taking advantage of hers. Monday was the last day she could practice on the course until next Monday, two days prior to the first round of the womens competition.But the women are allowed to use all of the practice facilities here throughout the week. And it will be a time to enjoy everything that comes with it.The opening ceremony was literally the best moment of my life, she said. It was beautiful. To be able to be received by so many people in my country. We were singing the anthem and chanting. And one of the cool things was I saw my dad in the first row. He called out my name and all of a sudden I see him, and hes hugging me. He played such an important role in my athletic life.And that would not have happened if the Olympics were somewhere else. Air Max Pas Cher Chine . Coach Tom Thibodeau says the former MVP will probably start travelling with the team in the next few weeks. Rose tore the meniscus in his right knee at Portland in November and was ruled out for the remainder of the season by the Bulls. Air Max 90 Pas Cher Chine . The catch: It needs a lot of money, and it needs it fast. http://www.airmaxpaschersite.fr/basket-air-max-97-outlet.html . Datsyuk will miss Tuesdays game against New Jersey and could be sidelined longer, while Cleary will likely miss at least the next three games. Its been an injury-plagued season for Datsyuk, who has suited up for just 39 games. Air Max 97 Moins Cher . LOUIS -- Mike Smith is used to facing plenty of shots, so this was nothing new. Basket Air Max 90 Pas Cher . Speaking to the Chicago Tribune at baseballs Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Boras called the former home of the Expos a "tremendous environment" for baseball. Former UFC champion Lyoto Machida has accepted an 18-month suspension for his declared use of a banned substance in April.The 18-month suspension is dated retroactively to the fighters disclosure. He will be eligible to compete again on Oct. 9, 2017.Machida (22-7) had been scheduled to face Dan Henderson on April 16 in Tampa but was pulled from the event days beforehand for a potential anti-doping violation.It was later revealed that Machida disclosed his use of a banned substance to the United States Anti-Doping Agency during an out-of-competition test. Machida told USADA at the time that he was unaware the substance wwas banned.ddddddddddddIn a statement on Wednesday, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) confirmed the substance as 7-keto-DHEA. The out-of-competition sample that Machida provided in April also showed the presence of the banned substance.Machida faced a maximum penalty of a two-year suspension, but he received a reduced sanction because of the circumstances of his violation.A former light heavyweight champion now fighting at middleweight, Machida, 38, has not fought since June 2015. ' ' '