A man is in hospital in critical condition after Winnipeg police said he suffered stab wounds in a fight outside a nightclub early Sunday morning.

Officers said they responded to a report of a large fight in front of a nightclub in the 200 block of Bannatyne Avenue around 3:00 a.m.

When they arrived, police said they found a man with stab wounds to his upper body. He was then transported to hospital.

Const. Jay Murray said Sunday the victim is a man in his 20s.

Murray said up to 20 people were involved in the fight, and police are looking into whether the people involved have gang or other criminal ties.

“What happened in this situation, this individual was injured and approached a passerby with the wounds, police were summoned and located this male, so this was a fairly large fight," he said.

The passerby was an off-duty firefighter, Murray said.

Murray said it doesn’t appear to be a random incident, but the stabbing wasn’t just someone walking past the club. Police are not sure if the fight came from the nightclub.

The scene was cleared Sunday afternoon.

Anyone with information can call 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477.