Liddell exits USO tour with illness

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell on Tuesday was forced to make an untimely exit from his planned USO tour that also included rap artists Ying Yang Twins, model/singer Mayra Veronica, and comedians Gabriel Iglesias and Edwin San Juan.

"The tour producer knew that Liddell wasn't feeling too well and was just concerned that he wasn't well enough to make the whole tour," John Hansen, a USO representative, told MMAWeekly.com. "It's a pretty rigorous travel schedule ... heading all around the globe. It's just a real kick in the butt with all of the travel, and we just wanted to err on the side of caution."

Liddell's management, Zinkin Entertainment, confirmed the difficult decision for their client to return home. They stated that it was more or less a preemptive strike to be sure that Liddell gets healthy as he enters negotiations for his next fight, presumably sometime in early 2009.

Zinkin also expressed Liddell's extreme disappointment in being unable to go out and meet with the U.S. troops. That was something that he really wanted to do and they are already working on trying to find a way for Liddell to go out and meet with the troops once he is fully healthy again.