Gavin Tucker has reportedly retired from MMA following the UFC's announcement of a featherweight bout against Doo Ho Choi for the upcoming UFC Fight Night in Winnipeg. The fight was scrapped as Tucker never signed the contract. The event, set for April 18 at Canada Life Centre, marks the UFC's return to the city since 2017.
The UFC announced a featherweight matchup between Canadian Gavin Tucker and Doo Ho Choi for its Fight Night event in Winnipeg on April 18, but the bout was quickly removed from the card. According to reports from Marcel Dorff of Eurosport, Tucker did not sign the bout agreement and has elected to retire from fighting. This incident follows a similar case earlier in the week involving Renato Moicano, where the UFC announced a headlining bout before the fighter had inked the contract.
Tucker, nicknamed 'Guv’nor' and hailing from Newfoundland, last competed in 2023, suffering a first-round submission loss to Diego Lopes at UFC Nashville. That defeat marked his second consecutive loss, following a 22-second knockout by Dan Ige. In his UFC tenure since debuting in 2017, Tucker compiled a 4-3 record. He entered the Octagon undefeated at 10-0 with a win over Sam Sicilia but lost a unanimous decision to Ricky Glenn later that year. Tucker rebounded in 2019 with a submission of Seung Woo Choi, starting a three-fight win streak that included victories over Justin Jaynes—earning a Performance of the Night bonus—and Billy Quarantillo in 2020. He had withdrawn from scheduled bouts against Jack Jenkins in 2024 and Jeong Yeong Lee in 2025 prior to this announcement.
The UFC's Korean-language social media channels shared a graphic of the Tucker-Choi fight, and Choi has indicated that the promotion is seeking a replacement opponent. UFC Winnipeg, headlined by a welterweight clash between Canada's Mike Malott and Gilbert Burns, will feature several other Canadian fighters, including Jasmine Jasudavicius versus Karine Silva in women's flyweight, Melissa Croden against Darya Zheleznyakova in women's bantamweight, and Robert Valentin welcoming Julien Leblanc in middleweight. Additional bouts include John Castañeda vs. Mark Vologdin, Mitch Raposo vs. Allan Nascimento, and Dong Hun Choi vs. Andre Lima. The event is the promotion's first in Winnipeg since 2017.
