Finally, it’s the last preliminary fight, and again we’ve got a classic grappler vs. striker matchup. Looking back over the competition, there has been some crazy turns of events, with mad injuries – and the craziest of all has been Richie Smullen’s disaster, which may have come down to overtraining. But one thing I know for sure is that it wasn’t down to any nerves and the big man, Dana White, will one day, maybe soon, see Richie Smullen in action and have his opinion change from him having a problem with nerves to his famous words of “Holy (expletive).”

I’m looking forward to this moment.

With this being the last preliminary fight, all I’m thinking about is myself. I want a second opportunity to show what I’m really about, either at lightweight or featherweight. It really makes no difference to me. I’m here to fight, and I’ll fight anyone here to get that second chance of showing the world what I’ve got.

With all these characters in the house, there were some that stood out, and others kept themselves to themselves. Tyler Diamond certainly came across as one of the characters. He is a man who is filled with confidence and determination. A few people may think he is arrogant and full of himself because of the way he portrays himself, but he comes from a hard-working background, and with a younger brother who has autism, I can see why he is the way he is, because behind all that confidence is a man who is just trying to show his brother why being confident is so important. Regardless of what other people think or say, we are who we are.

If you follow Tyler’s Instagram (@tylerd1amond), you can see many funny moments captured with his brother. The relationship is a true brothers’ bond, and you can see why Tyler is the man who he is. Today, it’s a beautiful thing seeing two different people helping each other grow and uplifting each other. Plus, it may not come across so much on the series because he seems so serious and dedicated to his craft, but Tyler Diamond is a funny guy, too.

Tyler’s opponent is the one and only Dulani Perry! He likes to be known as the “Fight God,” but I know him and refer to him as “Delightful Dulani.” It’s going to be hard to convince many people that this guy is actually a pretty cool guy … but here goes nothing!

Out of everyone in the house, I had a great relationship with this guy. Entering the competition, everyone knew who Dulani was. He was very brash at tryouts, and if you check his Instagram (@fightgod_), you will see exactly what I mean, but I got to know the real “Delightful Dulani.” When you peel away all the Versace, Gucci and Bling Bling, there is a decent guy under there, who has a big heart with an addiction to making money. He loves to challenge himself and truly believes in his potential of becoming great in life. He has a winner’s mentality when it comes to business, but to be great in what he does, he needs to piss people off. Ha!

This fight is one-sided from most people looking from the outside – Tyler being the No. 1 pick and a big favorite to win the season – fighting out of Team Alpha Male, one of the top gyms in the world, this man is no joke. So for Dulani, coming in as the last pick and not having a very big record, I can see why, but my thinking going into this fight was if Tyler don’t show Dulani enough respect, he could find himself sleeping. Dulani is not the most powerful guy but has some fast striking and has straight up “Go Go Gadget” limbs, which you have to respect.

Both guys gave an entertaining weigh-in. Turning up the heat, Dulani loves the mind games. I was thinking, “Can Tyler handle the pressure of fighting the last pick?” Himself having such a big spotlight on him, could he handle it?

I remember telling Dulani go out and be crazy. Let them limbs flow. Show no respect, and that’s what he did well – for 20 seconds. Dulani threw some crazy kicks, of which some landed, but then Tyler woke up and took Dulani to his playground, using his relentless ground and pound. Tyler had ruthless top position. Constant pressure caused Dulani to leave his neck exposed, and Tyler snatched it up.

Really, Tyler looked in complete control for the entirety of the fight, apart from the initial 20 seconds where we all thought, “Maybe, just maybe, Dulani could pull something off!”

Dulani definitely lost himself in the fight, struggling to find his way, and admitted to needing to work on his ground game and that he felt Tyler was a whole different level. You see a small slither of the real Dulani after the fight, defeated and beaten, but showing true character and admitting defeat and straight away vocalizing that he needs to improve his weaknesses and put in hard work in the gym to become better. He didn’t make excuses or try and blame it on anything. He took it like a man and moved forward. It was a flawless performance from Tyler. He really took Dulani out of his game and punished him.

Finally, it’s semifinal time!

I’ve been thinking about this moment for the past few nights. I’ve trained my arse off since losing, trying to show the coaches how much I wanted my second chance and to make sure I’m ready for this opportunity if it comes around. I felt like I had done enough to secure my place but couldn’t be sure. From the moment the referee called a stop to Dulani’s fight, I could feel my heart beating in my throat, and then in what seemed like a lifetime of waiting, I was finally called to the boss man’s office – well, a small room at the back of The Ultimate Fighter Gym. I’m sure his real office is a lot nicer! Hopefully one day I’ll find out, but here I am sitting with Stipe Miocic, Daniel Cormier and Dana White.

All I’m thinking about is if they don’t pick me to come back, then who am I going to (expletive) up first. I work out its probably best to start with the big boys and finish with Dana but … luckily for these guys, no one got hurt, and I was given my second shot! Another opportunity to leave the house doing what I came here to do, fight my heart out and take someone’s soul with me back to Spain. In all the excitement of getting told I was returning, I had no clue whether I would fight at lightweight or featherweight. I forgot to ask and I didn’t even care! I’m getting a chance to redeem myself and that’s all that mattered to me.

Fight picks, and I’m pumped to be back! I get brought back in at featherweight, and Tyler Diamond is my dance partner. I was over the moon to be back in it and pleased with the matchup because regardless of what happens, I’m leaving this show getting to fight the first and second picks of the show! All I was thinking when I was facing off with Tyler was that this time I’m pulling the trigger.

Jay Cucciniello (8-0), an English featherweight on “The Ultimate Fighter 27,” blogs about the season each week exclusively for MMAjunkie. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMelowFelow or Instagram at @mellowfellowmma. New episodes of the show air each Wednesday night on FS1.