Eduard Vartanyan was reportedly attacked in the backstage area before his fight at ACA 202 in St. Petersburg, struck in the back of the head by associates of Zaur Gadzhiev. The incident highlights ongoing issues with access control at ACA events. The author notes that while media personnel are strictly restricted from locker rooms and backstage areas, fighters not competing on the card and their entourages apparently have freer access. The post suggests that ACA has recently improved its policies regarding media access, though the situation remains imperfect. This incident raises questions about security protocols at the promotion's events.
A troubling security incident allegedly unfolded backstage at ACA 202 in St. Petersburg, with Russian featherweight Eduard Vartanyan reportedly struck in the back of the head before his scheduled bout at the event, according to reports emerging from the promotion.
According to the account, the attack was carried out by associates of fellow fighter Zaur Gadzhiev, raising immediate concerns about who is permitted in restricted areas at ACA events and under what conditions.
Why it matters
- The incident exposes an apparent contradiction in ACA's backstage access policies, where credentialed media are tightly restricted from locker room areas while fighters not competing on the card and their entourages appear to move with considerably more freedom.
- An attack on a competing fighter in the moments before a bout represents a serious lapse in event security, regardless of the individuals responsible.
- ACA has reportedly made recent improvements to its media access protocols, but this episode suggests broader access control issues remain unresolved at the promotion's events.
That a fighter could reportedly be physically struck by outside parties in a secured backstage zone points to gaps that extend well beyond press credential management. The promotion has not yet publicly addressed the incident or clarified what, if any, disciplinary or procedural steps would follow.
