Eduard Vartanyan attacked backstage before ACA 202 bout by Gadjiev's associates

Eduard Vartanyan was allegedly attacked in the backstage area and struck in the back of the head by friends of Zaur Gadjiev prior to his fight with Uzair at ACA 202 in St. Petersburg. The incident highlights inconsistent security policies at ACA events, where media are typically restricted from locker rooms and backstage areas, yet fighters not competing on the card and their associates apparently have access. A reporter noted that while ACA has recently improved media access policies, the organization previously maintained strict limitations on journalists while allowing situations like this attack to occur. The incident occurred at the St. Petersburg event despite ACA's generally tight control over backstage access.