Eduard Vartanyan was allegedly attacked in the backstage area before his fight with Uzair at ACA 202 in St. Petersburg. The attack involved being struck in the back of the head by associates of Zaur Gadzhiev. The incident raised questions about ACA's access policies, as the promotion has historically maintained strict rules keeping media out of locker rooms and backstage areas, yet fighters not competing on the card and their entourages apparently had access. The author noted that while recent events have shown improvement in media access policies, they still aren't ideal. The piece criticized the inconsistency of restricting credentialed journalists who have covered ACA for years while allowing inactive fighters and their groups backstage where altercations can occur.
