Ryan Chiappe-Mehdi Baghdad, Andrew McInnes-Dan Ring added to MFC 39 main card

Maximum Fighting Championship’s first event of 2014 has seen a pair of changes to its main-card lineup.

An injury has knocked Chase Degenhardt (8-3) from his fight against Ryan Chiappe (10-8), and Chiappe now will face French fighter Mehdi Baghdad (9-3) in a welterweight bout.

In addition, a fight between Derek Boyle and Aaron Gallant has been scratched from the lineup thanks to a Gallant injury. In its place will be a lightweight bout between Andrew McInnes (3-1) and Dan Ring (5-2-1). MFC officials recently announced the changes to the card.

“MFC 39: No Remorse” takes place Jan. 17 at Northlands Expo Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The main card will air on AXS TV at 10 p.m. ET.

Chiappe will be going after just the third win streak of his career. It’s been an up-and-down run for the Canadian since turning pro in 2006. He alternated losses and wins the first 10 fights of his career before finally putting together a two-fight streak in 2010. He had another one in 2011. In 2013, he won his lone fight in August. He’ll be fighting for the second time under the MFC banner, where he is 0-1 with a submission loss to Cody Krahn in 2011.

Baghdad, a Team Quest product, will be looking to run his win streak to six fights. In his five-fight run in 2012-2013, he has five stoppages, including a trio of choke victories. He’ll be making his MFC debut against Chiappe in the short-notice fight after Degenhardt fell out.

McInnes, from Edmonton, has won three straight fights since a loss in his pro debut in 2011. All three of his wins have come by submission, including a rare gogoplata stoppage this past April. Ring, from Vancouver, will be fighting for the fifth time for MFC, where he has gone 3-1. But he’ll be looking to snap a two-fight skid that includes a loss to Myles Merola at WSOF 7 a month ago.

MFC 39 will have a six-fight main-card lineup. Prelims for the show are expected to be announced soon and will stream live on MFC’s Facebook page.

The main card for MFC 39 now includes:

• Anthony Hamilton vs. Darrill Schoonover – for heavyweight title
• Tom Gallicchio vs. Kurt Southern – for vacant lightweight title
• Sean O’Connell vs. Victor Valimaki
• Gilbert Smith vs. Jason South
• Mehdi Baghdad vs. Ryan Chiappe
• Andrew McInnes vs. Dan Ring

For the latest on MFC 39, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.