Nogueira: No Grappling With Gays

Mixed martial arts champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (pictured, left) of Brazil says he would rather not train with gay fighters, USA Today reports.

The newspaper quoted an English translation of an article originally published in Portuguese, with Nogueira saying, "I have no prejudice against the gays, but I wouldn't train with someone who's gay. I have no malice, I don't take our physical contact as [something] sexual. But what if the gay person has that malice of having physical contact with me, of staying there grappling? I would have no problems having a gay student in my academy, but I would rather not train with him."

Nogueira is a winner of winner of heavyweight titles in Pride Fighting Championships and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He will fight Brendan Schaub this week in a UFC match in Rio de Janeiro after having been out of action since February 2010 due to injuries.