While it never came to fruition while both men were in their prime, Bellator CEO Scott Coker says don’t close the door on a superfight between Fedor Emelianenko and Randy Couture.

At the Bellator 123 post-fight press conference on Friday, Coker hinted that the matchup could still happen despite both competitors enjoying retirement for at least two years, per MMA Junkie.

“You know, that’s a fight I personally would love to see, but I just don’t know if it’s going to happen,” Coker said. “We’ll talk to him (Couture) and see what he has to say.”

“All I can say is that we’re in dialogue with M-1, but that’s all I have to say at this time about that,” Coker added, when questioned if he had kept in contact with Emelianenko.

Coker was “The Last Emperor’s” boss when he competed in Strikeforce between November 2009 and July 2009. Coker was the co-founder and CEO of the promotion.

Despite having one of the most renowned MMA legacies of all-time, the Russian striking/grappling machine went just 1-3 under the Strikeforce banner.

He suffered three losses in a row to Fabricio Werdum, Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and Dan Henderson, getting finished on each occasion.

Returning to the regional, Emelianenko won three fights in a row before retiring in June 2012.

On the other hand, Couture hasn’t competed since April 2011, when he suffered a devastating knockout loss to Lyoto Machida at UFC 129.  He retired going 3-1 in his last four matchups.

Couture, 51, recently expressed an interest in competing against Emelianenko, 37, at an upcoming Metamoris event – an unsanctioned grappling only promotion.

Could Couture vs. Emelianenko ever meet inside the cage or was Coker leading reporters on for the sake of a great headline?