diff --git a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/CHANGES.txt b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/CHANGES.txt
index f534001118..c97a7f6245 100644
--- a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/CHANGES.txt
@@ -316,6 +316,9 @@ Release 2.8.0 - UNRELEASED
     MAPREDUCE-6079. Rename JobImpl#username to reporterUserName.
     (Tsuyoshi Ozawa via aajisaka)
 
+    MAPREDUCE-5981. Log levels of certain MR logs can be changed to DEBUG.
+    (Varun Saxena via devaraj)
+
   OPTIMIZATIONS
 
   BUG FIXES
diff --git a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-core/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/task/reduce/Fetcher.java b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-core/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/task/reduce/Fetcher.java
index 4b80dc99de..1e0338787a 100644
--- a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-core/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/task/reduce/Fetcher.java
+++ b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-core/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/task/reduce/Fetcher.java
@@ -448,7 +448,7 @@ private void verifyConnection(URL url, String msgToEncode, String encHash)
     LOG.debug("url="+msgToEncode+";encHash="+encHash+";replyHash="+replyHash);
     // verify that replyHash is HMac of encHash
     SecureShuffleUtils.verifyReply(replyHash, encHash, shuffleSecretKey);
-    LOG.info("for url="+msgToEncode+" sent hash and received reply");
+    LOG.debug("for url="+msgToEncode+" sent hash and received reply");
   }
 
   private void setupShuffleConnection(String encHash) {
diff --git a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-core/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/task/reduce/ShuffleSchedulerImpl.java b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-core/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/task/reduce/ShuffleSchedulerImpl.java
index 37f4af3f72..8317672dfa 100644
--- a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-core/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/task/reduce/ShuffleSchedulerImpl.java
+++ b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-core/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/task/reduce/ShuffleSchedulerImpl.java
@@ -413,7 +413,7 @@ public synchronized MapHost getHost() throws InterruptedException {
       pendingHosts.remove(host);
       host.markBusy();
 
-      LOG.info("Assigning " + host + " with " + host.getNumKnownMapOutputs() +
+      LOG.debug("Assigning " + host + " with " + host.getNumKnownMapOutputs() +
                " to " + Thread.currentThread().getName());
       shuffleStart.set(Time.monotonicNow());
 
@@ -443,7 +443,7 @@ public synchronized List<TaskAttemptID> getMapsForHost(MapHost host) {
         host.addKnownMap(id);
       }
     }
-    LOG.info("assigned " + includedMaps + " of " + totalSize + " to " +
+    LOG.debug("assigned " + includedMaps + " of " + totalSize + " to " +
              host + " to " + Thread.currentThread().getName());
     return result;
   }