Bruce Lee's the most legendary martial artist to ever live ... but UFC rising star Zabit Magomedsharipov is already EVEN BETTER than him -- so says his manager.
We got Ali Abdelaziz fresh off Zabit's savage Fight of the Night victory at UFC 223 ... and he heaped the highest praise on the Russian, saying he's never seen a more complete MMA fighter.
FYI, Ali reps current and former champions like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Frankie Edgar and Fabricio Werdum -- so that's a bold statement.
But, not nearly as bold as what he said next -- "(Zabit's) a much better version of Bruce Lee ... that's the truth. Bruce Lee cannot do the stuff he does."
"I love Bruce Lee, I respect him, but he's Bruce Lee on steroids."
Yeah ... probably not the best choice of words, but point taken.
Of course, being that he's the modern-day Dragon, Ali says Zabit could beat all the UFC's top 145-pounders RIGHT NOW.
But, before he gets in there with Max Holloway or Brian Ortega, Ali and Zabit are calling out another fighter to "come to Russia and get his ass whipped!"