Scott Coker is pumping the brakes on an immediate champion vs. champion showdown between Gegard Mousasi and Rory MacDonald.

Although Coker said he’s open to making the fight, timing may force the champs to fight other opponents before facing each other.

“You have Gegard who’s at 185, and I think Rory wants to fight right away,” Coker today told MMAjunkie. “So I don’t know if Gegard is going to want to fight right away. There might be a fight or two in between.”

Mousasi (44-6-2 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) called out MacDonald (20-4 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) after capturing the Bellator middleweight title this past month at Bellator 200. Coker said MacDonald immediately started texting him to make the fight. Both fighters subsequently talked up a meeting in subsequent interviews. Mousasi even joked he would call MacDonald names until the fight materialized.

But Coker indicated the timetables of the champions aren’t aligned to make the bout a reality.

According to Coker, MacDonald wants to fight “tomorrow,” while Mousasi is about to go on a holiday. Mousasi’s rep Nima Safapour confirmed the fighter is thinking more about a break than his next fight.

“Gegard is still riding the wave of his last victory,” Safapour wrote in a text. “He wants to be on holiday for a little while.”

It remains unknown whether that means a short delay and a showdown later this year, or a longer delay where both champs focus on their respective divisions. MacDonald hasn’t fought since a January win over Douglas Lima that crowned him welterweight champ, and he’s been outspoken about staying active as a fighter.

Many MMA observers have called the matchup the fight to make in Bellator. But it may take a while before the circumstances are right.

For more on Bellator’s upcoming schedule, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.