Some mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters such as Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women's bantamweight contender Liz Carmouche are very open and proud to be gay.

Then there are plenty others, according to Anderson Silva, who have yet to embrace their sexuality.

During a recent conversation with Brazilian lifestyle magazine Trip (via Fightland), "The Spider" talks about homosexuality in the sport, saying that unlike his mentor Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, he has no issues with training with an openly gay male fighter.

He also addressed some rumors regarding his sexual orientation, too:

"I don't think there's prejudice, but there's a lot of homosexuals in mixed martial arts. There are a lot of them who haven't yet come out. [If they were to come out,] nowadays it's so silly to not express your feelings. As long as you respect people's spaces, and respect their limits. You have to live your life in peace and no one has anything to do with that. I would train with a gay man. As long as he respected me, it's all right. I don't think much of it. The fact that guy is gay doesn't mean he's going to accost you. He can be gay, have a relationship, live among guys who aren't gay. He can do whatever he wants with his private life"

According to the former UFC middleweight champion, his own sexuality has been questioned by many throughout his illustrious despite the fact that he is a married man and father of three.

And even though he is quick to say that he is straight, Silva did go on to say that he could very well discover that he is gay later on in life.

He explains:

"They tease me. Sometimes people think I'm gay. A lot of people have asked me if I'm gay. I answer, 'Look, not to my knowledge. But, I'm still young, it could be that in the future I'll find out that I'm gay.' I take good care of my things, I put everything in a bag, I use soap, I put on a cream after training. People think it's capricious. To each his own. Doesn't mean you're more man or less man, more gay or less gay."

Silva isn't the only high-profile fighter who has openly expressed his approval of gay fighters in the sport.

Joseph Benavidez, Phil Davis and Chuck Liddell have also gone on record saying they have no qualms with having an openly gay fighter compete inside the Octagon ... as long as they can fight and win. Even UFC President Dana White has encouraged gay fighters to come out.

And who knows, Silva may be the one to lead the charge if he sticks around long enough.