the human body is the most amazing machine ever invented. if you are a healthy, active adult who has done some research and follow an aas/pct protocol for first time users then i would say that if you don't manage to fully recover back to 100% or more of your original test levels then you are the exception to the rule.

your 2nd question i think is based on faulty assumptions. i know many many ufc fighters personally, yes there are many who use steroids but as anyone who follows the sport will tell you, muscle does not equal win. the same goes for big scary tattoos. fighters are using trt more often now because they see money available now that was only a dream before yet their own window of fighting opportunity is rapidly coming to a close. what was chael's level when he was tested after the first anderson silva fight? 4 times that of a "normal" male his age. that isn't trt, and he wasn't using it to make up for decades of steroid abuse either.

as for number 3, each of those items has different reasons to be there and they work together to get you back to "normal". don't short change yourself on the pct, the cost of each should be factored into the cost of the cycle to begin with. if you can't buy all of your gear+pct items before you start, don't start.