UFC’s Liddell is sidelined by a torn hamstring

Chuck Liddell planned on using his June 7 Ultimate Fighting Championship bout against unbeaten Rashad Evans as a springboard back to a light-heavyweight title fight.

Liddell, however, suffered an injured right hamstring in training earlier this month, and after an MRI revealed a hamstring tear, Liddell decided Monday at the urging of an orthopedist to drop out of the UFC 85 main-event fight in London.

“I asked for time after it happened, but they said I can’t do anything on that leg for four to six weeks, and to try to resume training at that point would leave me only a week,” Liddell said in a telephone interview with The Times. “It’s hard for me, I’ve never pulled out of a fight. I was excited about going there.”

UFC officials said they are “working on a replacement” for Liddell, and expect to name Evans’ opponent within a week. Evans (16-0-1) has fought Tito Ortiz to a draw and defeated previously unbeaten Michael Bisping within the last year.

“Being the warrior that [Liddell] is, he still wanted to fight, which is the reason why everyone in the world loves him,” UFC President Dana White said of Liddell (21-5), who lost his light-heavyweight belt to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson last year but responded in December with an impressive slugfest victory over long-anticipated opponent Wanderlei Silva.

“I wouldn’t let anyone fight with his leg looking that way,” White said in his prepared statement on ufc.com. “Let him heal and come back when he’s 100%.”

Liddell said he expects to return to the UFC octagon for a fight in August or September. He said he exercised by swimming and doing upper body work after injuring the hamstring, but “I have a hard time shadow boxing.”

The MRI and orthopedist’s diagnosis finalized his decision to withdraw.

“It’s getting better, I don’t need surgery, but this is the time I’m usually going full speed, and it’s nowhere close to where it needs to be to be completely ready for this fight,” Liddell said.

lance.pugmire@latimes.com