First off I don't think Cerrone is a journeyman, journeymen tend to be fighters who just kind of coast along and never climb the rankings. Cerrone won the LW title in WEC and fought for the LW title in the UFC after going on a 8 fight win streak. Cerrone is a legend, and a win over him is pretty legit, especially when you look at the list of guys who have beat him, its all killers.
With that said, Conor doesn't have to earn title shots the same way other fighters do, he's built himself as a legend in the sport and one of the biggest draws in all of combat sports. The UFC wants him as a champion, so of course they'll give him the shot if he wants it.