A West Kelowna man says he was assaulted outside a Kelowna nightclub early Sunday morning.

About 1:45 a.m., Pavel Vengertsev was outside Sapphire Nightclub, looking for a taxi, as the bars were starting to clear out.

"I moved around the block to get a cab to be away from the core," said Vengertsev. "That's the last thing I remember, feeling like I was missing half of my mouth."

Vengertsev remembers walking into what appeared to be an argument between multiple men about a missing bicycle along Leon Avenue.

He says he walked down the street in an attempt to avoid the conflict.

"I was blind-sided, sucker punched, and I did not see anybody direct(ly)," said Vengertsev. "The doctors said that I was hit with something like rings or a metal device because my bottom lip is split right through."

He doesn't remember how many men attacked him or what they looked like.

Vengertsev suffered multiple injuries, including a dislocated shoulder, stitches on his elbow, knees and lip, as well as his two front teeth being knocked out.

"Those are the minor things. I'm happy to be alive because I feel like being unconscious or having a bad fall could have resulted in a worse outcome," said Vengertsev.

"This is the Kelowna version of Lower Eastside (Vancouver). We don't want that."

Vengertsev has not yet reported the incident to RCMP and is still considering it, but believes they have more important things to focus on.

He wants people to be aware of the dangers late at night in the downtown area.