Inside the broadcast booth at UFC 326, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje briefly stepped away from punches and scorecards to talk about something else entirely: the NFL. And the topic wasn’t small. It was the blockbuster trade that sent Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens, a move that has shaken up the league heading into the new season.

Gaethje, a longtime Raiders fan, didn’t hide the emotional side of the deal. The UFC interim lightweight champion admitted that losing the five-time Pro Bowl defensive end from Las Vegas hurts on a personal level. However, despite the personal sadness over his exit, the 37-year-old appeared to back the move.

“Yo, I am sad to lose Max Crosby,” Gaethje said. “I was actually hoping to golf with him this week, but he didn’t, couldn’t make no time. I’m going to golf with him soon. I love that man. I loved him being a Raider. He’s been here for six, seven years. He’s done amazing. He has fought his a–off, but if he’s happy to leave, I am happy that he’s leaving because I want him to go win.”

“You know, I’ve been a Raiders fan since ’88, and you know, I’m happy for him. I hope that it’s everything that he wanted. You know, we are going to… I’m not great on the specifics, but I think we got two first-round draft picks this year. So I am excited about that. “

The comment reflects Maxx Crosby’s unusual situation in Las Vegas. Since entering the league in 2019, the five-time Pro Bowler has played as one of the NFL’s most dominant and durable defensive ends despite constant instability around him. The Raiders cycled through five head coaches, multiple general managers, and a revolving door of quarterbacks. Even with that chaos, Crosby still delivered consistent numbers. He recorded double-digit sacks in three of his last four seasons and leads the NFL with 360 quarterback pressures since entering the league, 29 more than the next closest defender, Myles Garrett.

Baltimore traded first-round picks in both the 2026 and 2027 drafts to land Crosby. For a franchise that traditionally builds through the draft, the move is historic. It’s the first time in the team’s 31-year history that the Ravens have used a first-round pick to acquire a veteran player. The logic is clear. In 2025, Baltimore’s defense managed just 30 sacks, the lowest total the team has produced in 15 years. Crosby instantly changes that equation.

While Justin Gaethje looked at the trade from a Raiders fan’s perspective, Poirier approached the conversation from the opposite side of the country. The Louisiana native has long supported the New Orleans Saints, which naturally brought up the name Derek Carr. Poirier joked that he was “still upset” about the Saints acquiring Carr, referencing the quarterback’s move to New Orleans in 2023 after being released by the Las Vegas Raiders.

Carr’s story ended very differently, however. After signing a four-year, $150 million contract with the Saints, injuries eventually caught up with him. In May 2025, he retired from the NFL after ongoing shoulder damage and degenerative rotator cuff issues made it difficult for him to continue playing at a high level.

For Gaethje, the Crosby trade is easier to accept because the Raiders gained something valuable in return. The team reportedly received two first-round picks, a major haul that could help kick-start a rebuild after a disastrous 3–14 season in 2025. And now, Maxx Crosby has opened up on his decision to move away from Las Vegas.

Maxx Crosby promises to “bring a championship to Baltimore” as he opens up on his move to the Ravens

Maxx Crosby didn’t hold much back. In a nearly 13-minute video posted to social media, the star pass rusher addressed Raiders fans directly while explaining why the move to Baltimore represents the next chapter of his career.

In the video, Crosby admitted that the hardest part was feeling like he hadn’t completed his mission with the Raiders. He told fans he felt he “didn’t deliver” on his goal of bringing a Super Bowl back to the franchise. At the same time, he made it clear that the move to Baltimore now comes with a new purpose.

“I’m going to give everything in my heart and soul to bring a championship to Baltimore,” he said. “I’m going there with one purpose, and that’s to help this team get to where ultimately it needs to be and where everybody wants to go. And that’s winning a Super Bowl. The whole city of Baltimore, the trust has got to be earned.”

In his words, he’s arriving ready to work and determined to be the best player and leader he can be. Interestingly, Crosby didn’t frame the trade as a bitter breakup with Las Vegas. Instead, he thanked the organization and insisted that his connection with the Raiders wouldn’t disappear. With a Raiders logo tattooed on his arm, Crosby said he’ll always consider himself “a Raider for life,” even while starting fresh with the Ravens.

His message was simple: the past with the Raiders still matters, but the mission now is winning in Baltimore. That kind of motivation tends to travel well in the NFL. And for fans watching UFC 326, the moment between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje was a reminder of something simple. Fighters may live in the world of knockouts and title fights, but when the cameras cut away, they’re just sports fans like everyone else.