Was a very good athlete in college actively joining local schools competitions - she was a Judo brown belt by the time she was 17 years old - and scored significant results in said competitions, usually among the top three competitors. Started Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu soon as the Gracie Barra academy came to South Africa and is currently a blue belt. Liezl credits Muhammad Ali for her passion for Judo/Jiu-Jitsu, saying that it was his fight with Ernie Terrell that opened her eyes to the depth and philosophical implications of fighting.