Eduard Vartanyan was attacked in the backstage area before his fight with Uzair at ACA 202 in Saint Petersburg, receiving a blow to the back of the head from friends of Zaur Gadzhiev. The incident highlights ongoing issues with ACA's backstage access policies. While ACA has historically been strict about media access to locker rooms and backstage areas, fighters not competing on the card and their friends have been allowed to roam freely. The author notes that while the situation has improved recently, it remains imperfect, and suggests fighters not on the card should be restricted from backstage access rather than credentialed media who have been covering ACA for years.
A physical altercation broke out backstage at ACA 202 in Saint Petersburg on April 12, leaving Eduard Vartanyan struck from behind before he was set to compete against Uzair on the same card.
According to the report, Vartanyan received a blow to the back of the head in the backstage area, with the attack attributed to associates of fellow fighter Zaur Gadzhiev. The incident occurred in the moments leading up to his scheduled bout, raising immediate concerns about the safety conditions fighters face before stepping into competition.
Why it matters
- A fighter was physically struck before his bout, which could have affected his performance and safety during the fight itself.
- The incident exposes a long-standing inconsistency in ACA's backstage access policies, where credentialed media have faced tighter restrictions than fighters not competing on a given card and their personal associates.
- The report argues that non-competing fighters and their entourages roaming freely in secure areas presents a genuine security risk that formal credentialing reforms could address.
The broader concern raised is not simply about one incident but about a structural gap in how ACA manages access to its backstage environment. The organization has historically applied strict rules to media personnel, including journalists who have covered the promotion for years, while allowing less oversight of individuals connected to fighters not on the card. The report acknowledges that conditions have improved in recent periods but stops short of calling the situation resolved, calling specifically for non-competing fighters and their guests to be denied backstage access as a straightforward corrective measure.
