Eduard Vartanyan was reportedly attacked in the backstage area before his fight with Uzair at ACA 202 in St. Petersburg, being struck in the back of the head by friends of Zaur Gadzhiev. The incident highlights ongoing issues with ACA's backstage access policies. While ACA has historically been very strict about media presence in locker rooms and backstage areas, fighters not competing on the card and their friends have been allowed access, which in this case led to the altercation. The poster notes that ACA's media access policies have improved recently, though they remain imperfect.
Eduard Vartanyan was reportedly struck from behind in the backstage area of ACA 202 in St. Petersburg before his scheduled bout against Uzair, in an incident linked to associates of fellow fighter Zaur Gadzhiev.
According to the report, individuals connected to Gadzhiev approached Vartanyan in the backstage area and hit him in the back of the head ahead of his scheduled appearance on the card. The circumstances point directly to a longstanding gap in how ACA manages access to its restricted areas on event nights.
Why it matters
- ACA has historically maintained tight restrictions on media access to locker rooms and backstage areas, yet fighters not competing on a given card and their personal associates have routinely been permitted entry.
- That inconsistency in access policy created the conditions for Saturday's altercation, raising questions about the promotion's duty of care toward competing athletes in the lead-up to their bouts.
- The incident comes at a moment when ACA's media access protocols have reportedly been improving, though the backstage security framework for non-competing personnel remains a work in progress.
The attack is particularly notable because it occurred moments before Vartanyan was set to compete, a period when fighters are at their most vulnerable and when promotions bear a clear responsibility to ensure a safe environment. Whether ACA addresses its non-media backstage credentialing in the wake of the incident remains to be seen.
