Rumor mill: Couture vs. Wanderlei in February?

It is just such a juicy, tantalizing, exciting and provocative non news story – as of now – that we are compelled to share it with our readers.

We tend to scour Internet quite a bit, searching for UFC-related news on numerous sites and MMA forums throughout the day to bring you the latest information.

And if you do it long enough, it becomes rather easy discern between fact and fiction.

Recently, we've come across grumblings in a few threads that UFC Hall of Famer and Octagon legend Randy Couture will come out of MMA retirement to fight PRIDE FC Middleweight Champion Wanderlei Silva on February 24, 2007, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

It sounded too good to be true.

The speculation is due in part to PRIDE making it pretty well known that the "Axe Murderer" will face an American fighter that night. And, "The Natural" leaving the door to return to action under the right circumstances.

But, according to InsideFighting.com – a credible news source – it won't be Couture.

Here's a snip right from the man himself:

"Not that I know of [on fighting Silva]. I've heard that rumor from a couple of different people now, but I think it's just coming from someone with a wild imagination. I wish I could say it was true, but it's not."

Hmmm ... is that a sliver of interest creeping out of the 43-year-old?

A fight between Couture and Silva would be a dream scenario, considering that the Liddell-Silva super match looks like it will never happen.

But, the Couture-Silva rumor appears to be just that – a rumor.

Albeit a good one.