LFA 135 video: Maria Henderson wins pro debut with insane first-round submission

Maria Henderson, wife of former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson, created an incredible highlight in her professional MMA debut.

Opening up the main card of LFA 135, Henderson (1-0) stepped into the cage for the first time as a pro after fighting three times as an amateur. Sharing the cage with her was a fellow pro debutant, Melanie McIntyre.

The fight started off quickly and in the opening exchange, Henderson landed a flush kick to the body. McIntyre (0-1) looked to clinch immediately after, but that eventually led to Henderson taking full mount after getting a trip takedown.

Henderson then switched to a triangle choke submission. McIntyre kept her left arm out in the open too long and Henderson locked in an Americana from her back, which prompted the tap from the double-submission maneuver at 1:42 of the first round.

Check out video of the wild finish in the video below (via Twitter):

The Hendersons spoke about why the time was right to make the jump to the professional ranks at this point. They felt their preparation was at such a high level that they felt the fight would be similar to that of an open-book test.

Ultimately, Maria performed as if she had all the answers, and walks out of the Arizona Federal Theatre in Phoenix as an undefeated professional MMA fighter.